The Troubling Gender Inequality and Vested Interests Being Highlighted at COP Conferences

As Conference of the Parties (COP) events have become well-recognized and respected, the world is now more aware of the grave danger we are in. Climate concerns were once reserved for academics, but now everybody is highly concerned about what is happening to the planet.

Many consumers are supporting eco-friendly businesses and donating to green projects that save or preserve Earth's most sacred resources and spaces. In the face of these improvements, COP has stood tall as a space for world leaders, climate activists, and private companies to continue designing strategies for change.

However, society can only avoid climate disasters by ensuring that COP has the environment as its No.1 priority. This has become extremely important as these conferences have been infiltrated by fossil fuel executives and women have been intentionally excluded.

Gender parity at COP has not improved enough. A report showcased that women's delegation participation at COP28 stood at 34%, the same as a decade prior. Moreover, only 2% of delegations had an equal number of men and women present. These figures highlight that women's voices are not being amplified at COP despite the confirmation that women and girls disproportionately shoulder the effects of the climate crisis.

COP was first held in 1995 after the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was ratified a few years earlier. The international treaty received 165 signatures and signified a turning point for the planet.

The UNFCCC's main goal is to combat human interference in the climate, and the most recognized stakeholders have taken action to prevent environmental damage.

However, COP isn't a perfect system. It has only been operating for about three decades. Additionally, climate mitigation efforts haven't always resulted in concrete improvements. In 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed to limit global warming to 1.5°, countries realized that this target had already become unreachable within the next two years. As they tried to pivot, they created the Net-Zero By 2050 initiative that may not or may not be too late, depending on how aggressively major actors change their ways.

With all this being said, COP has limitless potential to pioneer the global adoption of climate mitigation strategies. Yet, scandals involving recent conferences cause many climate activists and average people to question the legitimacy of these meetings and the real changes they can create.

COP28 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and presented a great opportunity for the Middle East to prioritize climate mitigation. The region is well-known for its abundant natural oil reserves, which does pose some questions about why they were chosen to lead the 2023 conference.

However, many attendees were optimistic that this decision represented a greener future for the UAE and other surrounding countries. Specifically, because the CEO of the country's largest oil company was the conference's president. Unfortunately, this hope faded as allegations of vested interests quickly emerged.

Some reports revealed that the UAE planned to leverage COP28 as a way to win fossil fuel deals. These statements were denied by the country's representatives, but the occurrence damaged the public's trust in COP28 before it even began.

The conference president's reputation was also damaged when he said that there was 'no science' to support a phase-out of fossil fuels and that it would push society back into caves.

The COP28 office was also accused of sharing email servers with the oil company the conference president heads. After a news outlet requested information about whether the conference president could read COP28 office emails, the email servers were separated.

Despite being months away, COP29 has also caused some controversy. The 2024 conference scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, has been under scrutiny for similar missteps to that of COP28. The first blow that caused a major outcry in the media was because the Azerbaijan Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources was chosen as the conference president. While his governmental position is questionable, his career brings more scrutiny. The Minister has served for more than 20 years at one of the country's biggest oil and gas companies. Enabling government officials and oil and gas executives to influence climate action should be considered unacceptable by COP, but it seems to continue happening.

The 2024 conference has also sparked more public anger as they appointed zero women to their climate committee. Although the previous climate conference was held in a nearby nation with similar values, their committee was more than 60% women-led. Azerbaijan's decision to only choose men, specifically oil and gas executives and government officials, suggests that the UN is blind to corruption and sexism.

These allegations are easy to believe as the 2024 host country is also one of the world's largest natural gas exporters.

Due to public criticism, the COP29 climate committee added 12 women, and also another man. The 12-29 comparison represents a bleak picture to any female climate stakeholders or activists looking to make a difference. It also doesn't parallel gender demographics in our society.

Rhea Loucas, the founder of PlanetPlay, a gaming marketplace that leverages the power of the gaming industry to connect millions of players to a suite of climate project partners, comments on the state of COP. "It's very disappointing to see two consecutive COP conferences covered by dark clouds," she says. "These events are supposed to be for minds to gather and focus on solving one of our biggest crises. However, 2023 was marked as the year that society's 1.5-degree goal has been missed. There are many things to blame this loss on, but stakeholders should unite to produce real climate solutions. That being said, it's startling to see the exclusion of women leaders from the upcoming COP29. If we still can't unite together when we are facing this global crisis then we will have no tomorrow. At PlanetPlay, we leverage games' power in fighting against the climate crisis, not only because it is the biggest entertainment sector now that has a community of 3 billion people, but also because inclusiveness is in gaming culture's DNA. Our core belief is that the solution to the climate change crisis has to be a joint effort, we have to come together and include everyone, no one should be left out, no matter if you are young or old, no matter if you are woman or man, no matter what cultural background you are from."

In light of the disappointments in COP28 and the expected letdowns for COP29, the public is left confused and frustrated at the bodies meant to create systemic change. Climate change action is not improving and real action must be taken to prevent humanity's extinction. With the oil and gas industry controlling the world's biggest climate talks, there is little hope left about how things can improve.

COP is meant to serve all nations, which is why its host countries rotate through major global regions. However, it's impossible to make progress when climate polluters are allowed to have a say. All environmental stakeholders must question what COP stands for, and demand more transparency and equality in its practices for the sake of humanity's future.