COP in my City – empowering young people to change the world

On Saturday the 11th of September, a COP took place – COP in My City that is.

COP in my City is a COP simulation created 10 years ago by CliMates, where participants play the role of different actors to try and find an ambitious agreement that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions! Each participant represents a different actor – from a fossil fuel lobbyist to a feminist advocate. At the end of the negotiations, the states have to sign a final agreement. The stakes are high, because if the GHG reduction commitments are insufficient, the economic, ecological and human consequences will be dramatic!

After a brief introduction on the history of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and an inspiring opening speech from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres – as read by our very own Rose, – the participants were ready to start the negotiations.

Played hundreds of times across the globe, COP in my City has empowered young people to create communities in all the continents to make things change in their regional context. With greatly enthousiastic participants logging in from all over Europe, the event was a huge success!

COP in My City is a part of the Spark/ClimAct project, which consists of building awareness and mobilizing youth on climate and development issues in Europe.