In November 2025, I traveled to Belem, Brazil as a member of the IU delegation attending the United Nations’ (UN’s) 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), an international climate conference hosted annually. The conference brings together diverse perspectives to discuss climate solutions over the course of two weeks. My experience was all-encompassing and filled with valuable conversations, connections, and lessons.
I have been involved in the climate space since high school when I began working on climate policy in West Lafayette, Ind. After successfully passing a climate resolution in the city, I co-founded the statewide campaign Confront the Climate Crisis with students from across Indiana to work on policy implementation at the state level and to increase engagement on climate change among high schoolers. It was an incredible experience that instilled values and taught me lessons that have translated into my undergraduate studies at IU and my fellowship with the City of West Lafayette as a 2024 McKinney Climate Fellow.
Throughout COP30, I reflected on three key ideas that drew on these experiences.
Nuance in negotiations and stakeholders
Throughout my research at COP30, I closely followed negotiations on the Gender Action Plan, which aims to advance gender equality in climate action. The plan was finalized at the end of the conference and highlights strategies to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women.
I sat in on multiple informal negotiation sessions as text was analyzed, critiqued, and ultimately adopted. While different from the process of drafting and introducing climate policy in Indiana, negotiation over nuance in the language had similarities and reflected the varying priorities of parties. For each negotiator, the communication of their party’s values and goals in the final text was a prerequisite to building support for the plan.
I was reminded of the countless meetings and technical conversations we had while drafting and introducing state climate legislation in Indiana. We met with diverse stakeholders, incorporating language that reflected their priorities and carefully considered each line of the text. Seeing this process at the UN level was fascinating.
The role of local climate policy and implementation
While the United States government did not have a presence at COP30, Americans’ participation was still vital in charting paths forward.
As a climate fellow with the City of West Lafayette, I learned firsthand the importance of climate action implementation at the municipal level. Working with the city’s Office of Sustainability, I helped ensure the city was on track to meet its carbon neutrality goals, worked to implement recycling in apartment complexes, and participated in meetings with community stakeholders to increase engagement.
At COP30, these same priorities were made clear through panels with state and local politicians from the United States. I attended an event with California Governor Gavin Newsom and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that focused on the increasing importance of state and municipal implementation of climate solutions. This not only gave me hope for the future but also reinforced the value of the opportunities that I have had in these spaces in Indiana.
