We have successfully made it through the first two days of the 29th Conference of Parties.

There is so much to learn and explore, and I find it challenging to divide up your time to things that you are interested in. There are the pavilions that happen through the entirety of COP, which are packed with panels and discussions. Then there are the continuous press conferences and negotiations about fair shares, climate finance, and reparations. Something that really stuck with me today is the three pillars of climate reparations: adaptation, adapting to effects and fluctuations of climate change; mitigation, reducing emission or reducing the effects of climate change through different infrastructure; and loss and damage, which gives the responsibility to richer countries to pay smaller and developing countries to combat the effects of the climate crisis.

I have also been attending daily CAN (Climate Action Network) meetings which is an environmental NGO that umbrellas over multiple different environmentally focused organizations. Climate Generation is a part of CAN, which is why I have been attending and keeping updated. CAN International held a press conference with their Executive Director focusing on and acknowledging the genocide that has been happening in Gaza. The numbers and information she was sharing blew my mind. It’s been 404 days of the genocide of the Palestinan people, and a 30-day siege in Gaza. There have been 85 tons of explosives and bombs dropped in Gaza, which is actually 5x the amount of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. That in itself speaks to the unjust human rights violations and the extent the opposing forces are willing to take to secure the land from the Palestinian people. I have been extremely fortunate to meet people who live in Palestine and hear first hand stories of their hardships and struggles living through a war.

I am extremely grateful and fortunate to have this opportunity to connect and network with individuals from all around the globe.

This has opened my mind even more to the different perspectives and views individuals have about how climate change is shifting and affecting their homes and communities. I can’t wait to see what else I learn and to build even more connections and network. I am excited to see how I can bring this new knowledge and perspective to make my own work more prosperous back home.

Manny is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP29. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation, support our delegates, and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.

I am a Mexican and Ojibwe young adult that is passionate about my ancestry and the earth. I am a sophomore at the University of St.Thomas, just taking my generals to earn an associates degree. I have a twin sister and a five year old brother that I hold close to my heart. I have been working in the environmental/social justice field recently on a local level through the organization I work through, focusing on restorative infrastructure like pollinator and rain gardens, I am so excited and extremely lucky to be able to attend COP as a Climate Generation youth delegate.

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My First COP