Climate Summit Research Articles

Visual Politics, Protest, and Power: Who Shaped the Climate Visual Discourse at COP26?

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of visual imagery for how people conceptualise issues in the news media, most research on journalism and communication prioritises textual media. This research examines the visual imagery accompanying news stories about the 2021 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow (COP26). Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyse over 1,300 images from eight UK news outlets using content and critical visual discourse analysis. We then contextualise these images, drawing on interviews and participant observation with key visual media actors including image agency photojournalists and news journalists, editors and correspondents. First, we find that the visual discourse of COP26 is limited to politicians and “talking heads” imagery, and images of protest. Second, we explore the journey that images take through the news media ecosystem, from the camera lens to the published news article, identifying the sources of power which act on visuals throughout this journey. Sources of power can be obvious (e.g., individual photographers), whilst others are obscured or misattributed (e.g., curation and editing). Overall, we empirically demonstrate the importance of understanding the networked nature of images and how they move through a complex globalised media ecosystem, rather than conceptualising them simply as static objects in the news cycle.

Briefing: Stocktaking global warming: the outcomes of the 2023 Dubai Climate Summit (COP28)

This article reviews outcomes of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in late 2023. In particular, it considered the first Global Stocktake (GST) of actions taken by signatory nations to the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The GST examined the potential impact of bottom-up national pledges on greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation required to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the twenty-first century. The achievements at COP28 were mixed, and disappointed many from the climate-vulnerable states at high risk from extreme weather events and rising sea levels. There is a significant GHG emissions gap between that needed to ‘keep 1.5°C alive’ and climate actions identified in the GST. Nonetheless, the parties agreed to ‘transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems’ in order to reach net zero GHG emissions (i.e. carbon neutrality) by 2050, and to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. This assessment sets out the background to what needs to be achieved at future annual COP summits, including the next GST at COP30 to be held in the Brazilian city of Belém later in 2025.

Global Climate Change: Challenges, Opportunities, and Multilateral Strategies for Sustainable Development

Background: Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges, demanding collaborative action from both developed and developing countries. Despite numerous international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, political will and leadership commitment have been inconsistent, hindering effective global climate action. Private actors and global partnerships have emerged as critical players in addressing climate risks, but geopolitical and economic tensions continue to impede progress. Objectives: This research explores the key challenges and opportunities in combating climate change, emphasizing the role of international cooperation, the involvement of private and public sectors, and the need for innovative solutions. It also seeks to examine the responsibilities of developed and developing countries in contributing to global climate goals. Methods: A qualitative analysis was conducted by reviewing relevant literature, international agreements, and case studies. Data from climate summits, reports, and expert opinions were integrated to understand the political, economic, and environmental dimensions of climate change. Findings: The study identifies several challenges, including a lack of political will among major powers, economic competition, and inconsistent global leadership. It also highlights opportunities, such as the potential for technological innovation, investment in renewable energy, and the strategic role of private actors in promoting sustainable development. The findings underscore the importance of global partnerships and multilateral platforms like the United Nations in fostering cooperation among nations. Conclusion: Addressing climate change requires a holistic approach involving state and non-state actors, strong political leadership, and global partnerships. The transition to a low-carbon economy will require significant economic restructuring, but it presents opportunities for innovation and sustainable development. The study emphasizes the need for developed countries to fulfill their financial commitments to support adaptation in developing nations. Novelty: This research contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of both the challenges and opportunities in combating climate change. It highlights the critical role of private actors and international cooperation, offering a framework for future global actions.

The materiality of youth representation at climate summits: navigating barriers, routes, and spaces

ABSTRACT Recent decades have seen institutionalized procedures for youth representation in global climate governance, and significant visibility for youth climate activists. Despite these improvements, young representatives continue to bear witness about tokenized forms of participation and a lack of influence. This article seeks to address this ambiguous development by focusing on the materiality of youth representation in United Nations climate conferences. Through interviews and participant observations at COP26 and COP27, as well as COY16 and COY17, we analyse the bureaucratic and socio-economic barriers to representation, the knowledge resources and competitiveness of the routes to representation, and the spatial ordering and subversive tactics on site at the summits. We show that these materialities shape youth’s discursive strategies, thus helping to explain who gets to be a representative and what forms of subjectivities, agendas, claims, and strategies that become possible in the global climate governance regime.

“How Green Do We Have to Be?” Reading Laudate Deum in the Lenses of Inclusivity

Reading Laudate Deum in the Lenses of Inclusivity is not just an academic exercise. It is a commitment to walk with Pope Francis’ call to act immediately to address the issues of climate change and global environmental crisis. The paper aims to present the key concepts of his apostolic exhortation that advance the theme of inclusivity. It shall include a trace in the development of his concepts of inclusivity in his writings and programs, identify them in the text itself of Laudate Deum, and examine them within the framework of intersectionality. Pope Francis has been highly vocal about the technocratic paradigm that dominates and causes havoc to the harmony that the people of this world can enjoy. He urges world leaders to do something since his encyclical is at the best time to influence the United Nations Climate Summit (COP28). But beyond the rhetoric are issues that need to be responded to. The call is for everyone regardless of background and we are all united to work together to take care of our earth, our home.

Dynamic connectedness of climate risks, oil shocks, and China’s energy futures market: Time-frequency evidence from Quantile-on-Quantile regression

This study investigates the dynamic risk nexus among climate risks, oil shocks and China’s energy futures market from a time–frequency-quantile perspective. We first explore the dynamic connectedness of “climate risks – oil shocks – energy futures” and examine the risk transmission channels through mediation effects model. The Quantile-on-Quantile regression is used to study the time–frequency impact of climate risks and oil shocks on energy futures across different market conditions and investment horizons. Our empirical results are as follows: First, climate transition risks, oil demand and risk shocks play mediating roles in risk transmission channels. Second, the impact of climate risks and oil shocks on energy futures is heterogeneous and asymmetric under extreme conditions. Notably, global warming, oil supply shock and international climate summits are the greatest shocks to China’s energy market. Finally, climate risks and oil shocks are more pronounced in the short term. Overall, these findings offer valuable insights for shaping risk management strategies and implementing effective hedging practices within the energy market.

Did the Glasgow COP26 negotiations meet or miss Article 6 (carbon markets) of the Paris Agreement? A systematic review of the literature

AbstractThe Paris Agreement is an important milestone in international climate policy and the associated negotiations of the United Nations Climate Summit under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is a supplementary mechanism—regarding carbon markets—to reduce greenhouse gases and achieve the UNFCCC's main objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations. The 2021 United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow (COP26) played a key role in the pursuit of this goal. Via an overview of Article 6 negotiations in past COP summits and a systematic review and qualitative meta‐synthesis of the literature leading up to COP26, I identify three arguments involving Articles 6.2, 6.4, and 6.8 behind the selected literature. I substantiate these arguments based on the meta‐evaluation of the existing literature and propose a three‐stage meta‐evaluation of the arguments on Article 6 (carbon markets) of the Paris Agreement in the context of COP26 to ascertain if the negotiations were successful in leading to requisite agreements on Article 6. I conclude that future qualitative research should focus on Articles 6.4 and 6.8 of the Paris Agreement and examine the outcomes of future climate debates to see how ideas will flow through the negotiations regarding these two articles to pursue the goal of the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement.Related ArticlesJihyung Joo, Jihyung, Jouni Paavola, and James Van Alstine. 2023. “The Divergence of South Korea's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from the EU ETS: An Institutional Complementarity View.” Politics & Policy 51(6): 1155–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12566.Nunes Silva, Carlos. 2012. “Policy and Evidence in a Partisan Age: The Great Disconnect—By Paul Gary Wyckoff.” Politics & Policy 40(3): 541–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2012.00363.x.Robles, Pedro, and Daniel J. Mallinson. 2023. “Catching up with AI: Pushing toward a Cohesive Governance Framework.” Politics & Policy 51(3): 355–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12529.

Digital media’s portrayal of climate change challenges during COP27 climate summit

The study aims to investigate how digital media frame and present environmental issues and challenges of climate change in terms of four environmental and climate challenges: mitigation, adaptation, finance, and collaboration. The study also seeks to understand the extent that government bodies mobilize digital media to disseminate and promote necessary environmental challenges during COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The study uses the discourse analysis approach to define the key themes and issues that are portrayed and to understand how digital platforms reflected the conference agenda and climate change challenges. We analyzed 119 posts and news reports published on the conference website and Instagram account during November 2022. Results revealed that the platforms framed challenges of climate change during COP27 in many ways: the opportunity to find solutions, the urgency to address climate issues, and taking immediate actions in terms of transparency, adequate finance, ease of support flow, cooperation, participation, and youth involvement. Furthermore, the data indicate that the finance challenge has a strong relationship with all themes and challenges presented and discussed on the platforms. This indicates that African countries benefited from hosting COP27 by presenting their environmental concerns, the financial, and technological challenges they face in order to obtain global support.

Green horizons: Enabling the energy transition through climate change policies

In response to the goals set by the COP21 Summit, the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, this study aims to develop an effective policy framework to support the transition to sustainable energy. This framework considers key elements such as managing energy risks, leveraging green finance, navigating carbon markets, and evaluating three climate change policy indicators: the impact of climate change summits (CCS), government climate programs (CCGP), and climate change taxation (CCT). Utilizing the Quantile Vector Autoregressive (QVAR) approach and analyzing monthly data from the United States from August 1, 2014, to August 30, 2022, our research examines the influential role of these climate policy indicators. The results show that climate summits, governmental initiatives, and climate taxes are significant influencers, affecting both renewable and conventional energy sectors, carbon market movements, and green finance. The study underscores the importance of government initiatives and climate policies in driving the transition to renewable energy and fostering environmentally sustainable financial activities. Focused on advancing Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action), this research contributes to shaping effective policy frameworks and enriching policy debates on sustainable energy transition.

Aspects of the European Union’s climate policy in the context of the opportunities offered by the building sector – innovation in action

The European Commission wants Europe to become climate-neutral by 2050. 28 November 2018. The Commission has set out a long-term strategic vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and, above all, climate-neutral economy by 2050, showing how Europe can lead the way in achieving this goal by investing in realistic technologies, empowering citizens and adapting policies in such areas like industrial policy, finance and research. In this transition process, social justice must also be guaranteed. The Commission’s vision for a climate-neutral future, following the suggestions of the European Parliament and the European Council, covers almost all EU policies and is in line with the Paris Agreement objective of keeping the temperature increase well below 2°C and trying to bring it down to 1.5°C. The Commission adopted its strategic vision on 28 November 2018 in advance of the UN Climate Summit (COP24), which took place from 2 to 14 December in Katowice. Clean technologies are opening up new opportunities for industry and investors, even if capital markets are slower to adapt to the climate economy. Renewable technologies such as solar, hydro or wind energy are expected to enable the EU to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% by 20502.

Energy Transition, fossil Fuels, and green Innovations: Paving the way to achieving sustainable development Goals in the United States

The United States, as the world's second-largest polluter, emitted a staggering 4.7 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020. During the Leaders’ Climate Summit, the US president articulated precise targets for combating climate change, notably a 50 to 52 percent reduction in net CO2 emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Consequently, it becomes imperative to identify the pivotal factors that are driving this intensified dedication to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hence, it is vibrant to determine the basic causes propelling the intensified interest in meeting SDGs 7 and 13. From this perspective, this study explores the dynamic link between energy transition, fossil fuel energy, green innovation, and economic complexity index on CO2 emissions and ecological footprint in the United States from 1980 to 2020. The dynamic Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) simulations and Frequency Domain Causality (FDC) techniques are applied for long-medium and short-run causal association among the variables. Our empirical evidence shows that energy transition, fossil fuel energy, and economic complexity increase CO2 emissions and ecological footprint. On the other hand, green innovation reduces CO2 emissions and ecological impact only in the long term. The pragmatic outcomes suggest that authorities should inhibit Fossil Fuel Energy, concentrate on energy transitions, and include more renewable sources in the US energy mix. The findings would assist the United States in meeting SDGs 7 and 13.

Climate summits and protests have a strong impact on climate change media coverage in Germany

Media inform the public, thereby influencing societal debates and political decisions. Despite climate change’s importance, drivers of media attention to climate change remain differently understood. Here we assess how different sociopolitical and extreme weather events affect climate change media coverage, both immediately and in the weeks following the event. To this end, we construct a data set of over 90,000 climate change articles published in nine major German newspapers over the past three decades and apply fixed effects panel regressions to control for confounders. We find that United Nations Climate Change Conferences affect coverage most strongly and most persistently. Climate protests incite climate coverage that extends well beyond the reporting on the event itself, whereas many articles on weather extremes do not mention climate change. The influence of all events has risen over time, increasing the media prominence of climate change.

First they came for the Young Communists: police facilitation and control at COP26, Glasgow

ABSTRACT The COP26 Climate Summit held in Glasgow in November 2021 was expected to attract mass protests. Given the climate crisis and the increase in direct action in the UK, the police anticipated huge numbers with the potential for significant disorder. Despite this, Police Scotland insisted that they were committed to facilitating peaceful protest. Drawing on ethnographic observation and interviews with both police and protestors, this paper offers analysis of a contentious event during the large set-piece demonstration on Saturday 6 November. It focuses on the containment of a small group of Young Communists to ask what this tells us about ‘facilitation’, crowd theory, and police-protestor relations. Whilst fairly insignificant in terms of numbers, we argue that the YCL containment offers valuable insights into protest policing and facilitation.

Forecasting carbon peaking in China using data-driven rule-base model: An in-depth analysis across regional and economic scenarios

At the 2020 United Nations Climate Summit, China officially announced the goal to achieve carbon peaking by 2030. Exploring whether it is possible to reach the peak of carbon emissions earlier necessitates an urgent and imperative need for precise long-term forecasting of China's carbon emissions dynamics. However, the current carbon peaking predictions mostly depend on mechanical or mathematical models, which failed to consider the interdependence between carbon emissions and the time series-based patterns existed in carbon emission data. Therefore, this study presents a novel carbon peaking prediction method based on the data-driven rule-base model, which is implemented by the adaption of the extended belief rule base (EBRB) model for time series forecasting (TSF), and thus the proposed method is referred to as TSF-EBRB model. The TSF-EBRB model not only captures and measures the temporal correlations within the data throughout the processes of modeling and inference, but also consists of a novel parameter optimization model based on the temporal correlations. The study collected carbon emission data from 30 provinces in China for empirical analysis. It computed and predicted the carbon peaking trajectories of each province under three different scenarios from 2022 to 2030, validating the effectiveness and superiority of the TSF-EBRB model better than other existing carbon peaking prediction methods. The results indicated that, with policy interventions, the majority of provinces are projected to reach carbon peaking before 2030.

Diversionary Post-Coal Politics in South Africa: A Chinese Solar-Powered Industrial Zone Controversy

In September 2021 at a United Nations climate summit in New York, Xi Jinping announced that there would be no further Chinese coal-fired power plants along the Belt and Road Initiative, which stretches as far as South Africa. Instead, the Chinese operator of South Africa’s single largest Special Economic Zone proposal – in rural Makhado – and his local allies suggested that solar power could supply energy for the $10 billion project, including high-emissions industrial projects. This raised the question of whether firms engaged in mining, smelting, processing and other carbon-intensive activities would pick ‘low-hanging fruits’ within the renewable energy sector (instead of that power going into the grid for broader consumption). Their incentive is to do so, in order to safeguard the so-called Minerals-Energy Complex from Western climate sanctions – threatened, on grounds of high CO2-inputs to export products including steel, aluminium and petrochemicals. In spite of a 2022 United Nations Development Programme endorsement of the project, social and environmental resistance has intensified, but the introduction of solar power for high-emissions metal manufacturing presents a special challenge. Two techniques associated with ecological modernisation – natural capital accounting and the Social Cost of Carbon – may prove relevant to civil society critics of ‘extractivism’, in shifting the narrative further across space, time and scale.

Revisiting the EKC framework concerning COP-28 carbon neutrality management: Evidence from Top-5 carbon embittering countries

In the aftermath of the 28th Conference of the Parties (CoP) climate summit in the UAE, the majority of developing countries encounter challenges in attaining their objectives of carbon neutrality for a sustainable economy. The association of economic factors such as economic growth, governance structures, forest area, renewable energy consumption, technological innovation, and urbanization with environmental elements (carbon footprint) is vital for sustainable economic development and environmental management strategies. Therefore, this research reveals this association in five selected high-emitting countries spanning from 1990 to 2022. This research utilizes the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework to investigate the interrelationship between these variables. To do so, this study employs the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lags (CS-ARDL) statistical technique to determine the short- and long-term impacts of the variables under investigation on carbon footprint. In contrast, the mean group (MG) and common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG) have been applied for robustness. The findings revealed that GDP, urbanization, and forest area have positive associations with carbon footprints, whereas GDP square, renewable energy consumption, technological innovation, and governance effectiveness have inverse relationships with carbon footprints. These findings provide all stakeholders with valuable policy recommendations and management advice for accelerating the transition of renewable energy to low-carbon and green growth.

Making the struggle for climate jobs common—confessions from an activist professor

Anybody who lives “in the know” of the climate crisis—and understands some of the systemic causes of the relentless expansion of fossil fuel excavation and combustion—feels enfeebled by the obvious questions of what to say and/or what to do, to change things for the better. It does matter what we say, but most of the wise things have already been said. Meanwhile, journalists covering climate summits flip-flops between speaking the truth about where we are with global warming and political realism. This perspective article is shaped as confessions from an activist professor, who has inhaled climate activism and exhaled thoughts on climate communication for the last 15 years. Noting how the Latin roots of communicate is “to make common,” the author argues that the school strikes of 2019 were the last time hope was genuinely felt across the globe, because they found meaningful action together. What can be made common now, within the fog from Gaza, the Ukraine war and the cost of living crisis? Instead of “blowing up a pipeline,” the author suggests that climate jobs can break more spells of inaction for majority publics and help unleash and shape the broadest possible mass climate struggle.

Continuing to Talanoa: storytelling dialogues for youth engagement in climate action and justice

This article recounts a classroom application of a dialogue, story-telling process used at COPs beginning in 2017. In that year, the Fijian President of the United Nations climate summit, COP23 in Bonn, proposed the entire assembly use his nation’s Talanoa Dialogue process for building ambition for national commitments to the Paris Agreement. When youth, women’s and Indigenous voices were heard in unprecedented ways, many committed to continuing the practice. A florescence of the Asian-Pacific-inspired, conflict-resolution storytelling and dialogue practice ensued, with some continuing for years afterward. This paper recounts eight rounds of varied Talanoa Dialogues employed in higher education contexts. Purposes ranged from internal team-building, to forging community partnerships, to serving as vehicles for youth representation in international contexts like climate COPs. All dialogues nonetheless prioritized listening, recording, and representation through ethnographic, anthropological lenses. These experiences support recommendations to (1) Create chances for youth to listen empathetically to the stories of others in ways attentive to varied national, ethnic and other intersectional (e.g. gendered, class-based) social locations, expanding their awareness and linking their affective and intellectual selves; (2) Make opportunities for youth to voice their own stories and perspectives on climate challenges and work, considering their developmental trajectories in intergenerational contexts, while emphasizing the need to “scale” from individual through global dimensions; (3) Explore the implications of borrowing from exogenous cultural traditions, considering what factors may render this relatively legitimate, as opposed to appropriative. I explore particularities of the cultural origins of Talanoa Dialogues, which mediate hierarchy and egalitarianism, arguing that this function is especially apt for navigating conundrums of youth leadership and so-called “youth-washing.”

Climate Change Cyber Activism- Visual Communication Content Analysis of Youth Activist Greta Thunberg’s Instagram

On August 14, 2019, Greta Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to attend the United Nations Climate Summit in New York City. The purpose of this study was to explore the messaging behind youth Cyber activist Greta Thunberg’s Instagram account during her journey. We used an arts based visual content analysis approach and the following research questions guided the study: a) How did Thunberg share her climate activist journey with her Instagram followers? and b) How did Thunberg’s Instagram followers respond to posts she made during her climate activist journey? We collected posts from August 14 to 28, 2021. Images, captions, and the first ten comments of the posts shared by Thunberg’s Instagram account were qualitatively coded. Themes that emerged from the arts-based visual and textual analysis included: 1) Thunberg shared her experience through journey storytelling and voiced ongoing activism and 2) Thunberg’s audience members’ top comments indicated a primarily negative response to her journey. We highlight themes from the posts and discuss implications for online cyber activists and communication professionals.

Climate Smart Agriculture and its Implication on Climate Change Adaptation Measures within Smallholder Farming Systems in Gatundu South, Kenya

The impacts of climate change and the need for implementing adaptation and mitigation measures continues to dominate global environmental dialogue, with the Africa Climate Summit 2023 and Conference of Parties 28 being the most recent in this series. A hitherto marginalised aspect is the level of adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices in smallholder production systems. This study explored this dimension using Gatundu South as a case study. Rainfall data was obtained from the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station data. Socio-economic data targeting 384 respondents was collected using questionnaires. Standard procedures were used to analyse these data. Results showed that farmers are generally aware of climatic variability especially as evidenced by changes in rainfall patterns. Farmers adapt and attempt to mitigate effects of climate change and variability by using practices that deliver direct economic benefits and not necessarily the climate-smartness of the practices. Farmers did not associate their adaptation measures with the need to reduce emission of greenhouse gasses. To smallholder farmers, direct economic benefits are the primary incentives for the adoption of climate-smart practices. Further, the link between climate change and the invisible greenhouse gases is a knowledge gap among smallholder farmers. Therefore, adoption of climate smart agriculture practices can be enhanced if the narrative shifts to emphasise the negative contribution of greenhouse gases to farmers’ health and the concomitant medical costs, through their role in exacerbating air pollution