SUS+ UTokyo

【COP25 派遣者体験記⑩ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No.10】
【最後の体験記！| Last Activity Report! 】

これまで様々なCOP参加者の体験記をご紹介してきましたが、残すところ一人になってしまいました！
最後の体験記は、東京大学サスティナビリティ学グローバルリーダー養成大学院プログラムに所属し、気候変動への適応と緩和に向けた、東京での土地利用方法について研究しているJelena Aleksejevaさんによるものです✨
国際交渉がどのように進むのかに興味を持っていた彼女は、気候変動という課題に独特の障壁を現地で目にしたようです。

We have shared activity reports by various COP participants but finally, we only have one person left!
The last report is by Jelena Aleksejeva, a graduate student in the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Global Leadership Initiative at the University of Tokyo. She studies how urban space in Tokyo can be used for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Being interested in the process of international negotiation, she witnessed a barrier unique to the issue of climate change at COP🌏

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Jelena Aleksejeva
Affiliation: Graduate Program in Sustainability Science – Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI)

My motivation for attending the COP25 relates to my general academic interest, as well as the work I am doing at National Institute for Environmental Studies where we focus on urban GHGs. My research topic focuses on utilizing existing urban space for Climate Change adaptation and mitigation in Tokyo, Japan. Japan presents a unique case when it comes to GHG mitigation policies and pledges. It was projected to meet its GHG reduction goals, however, after the nuclear accident of 2011, Japan's energy sector had to resort to fossil fuels due to the powering down of the majority of the country's reactors. As a result, GHG emissions have been on the rise and there still is no foreseeable change in the policies to help get back on track with the Paris Agreement pledges Japan has set out. This unique situation in Japan, which is closely related to my research, is one of the reasons why I wanted to experience the COP negotiations first hand, as I am curious how academic data and results are subsequently used by policy makers.

I was very much looking forward to experiencing how decisions that shape our future are made and how agreements are reached in an international setting around other conflicts and disagreements. Much of what I was expecting of COP in terms of negotiations was indeed correct: the difficulty of reaching a consensus between parties and agreeing on terms. This particular COP proved to be the most difficult one to date, as was expected, due to the difficulty of one of the main tasks it was set out to accomplish: creating rules over global carbon market mechanisms outlined in the Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Considering the pushback of some of the major economies that, if heeded, would lead to an outcome that would not encourage the parties to increase their carbon cutting ambition, as well as have numerous loopholes, pushing the talks to the next COP seemed to be a prudent decision.

What stood out for me was that the difference in discourse between the global North and South throughout the conference was evident in how the countries talked about emissions, pledges in general, and their own NDCs. The overreaching theme of the conference was and increase ambition, and it seems that this is where the Global South and North diverge, as evidenced by the fact that for the most part, only the small and developing countries have expressed intentions for increasing their NDCs. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the biggest emitters. Countries from the Global South also raise questions over the “loss and damage”, an issue that is yet to be resolved.

COP25 was perhaps the most noted in the media for the big presence and involvement of younger generations. What they have successfully accomplished, is more coverage and conversation around the issue of Climate Change and hence, more involvement of the public. Unexpectedly, they seem to act as the link between scientists and politicians, prompting the latter to act based on the reports of the former.

Finally, what I found surprising was the ample opportunity to engage with the speakers at most events, making it a perfect venue for getting opinions and engage in discussion with the experts in the field. If there is one thing I would recommend future participants do before attending the COP, is set objectives of what you would like to learn from it and prepare questions in advance to maximize the utility of time spent there.

【COP25 派遣者体験記⑨ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 9】

寒い日が続いていますが、みなさんお元気にすごしていますか？
今回は、東京大学サスティナビリティ学グローバルリーダー養成大学院プログラムに所属し、東京の二酸化炭素排出について研究しているQiao Wangさんです。
強い学問的バックグラウンドを持っているからこそ、COPではさまざまな発見があったようです✨

We hope you are doing well in these cold days!
Today's report is by Qiao Wang, a student in the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Global Leadership Initiative at the University of Tokyo.
She studies CO2 emission from Tokyo and with her strong academic background, she made a lot of observations at COP!

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Name : Qiao WANG
Affiliation : GPSS-GLI

■Motivation to attend COP
My current study is about carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from mega-city Tokyo, so I am interested about how satellite data and modeling can support National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory as well as Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) framework under UNFCCC. Validated estimation of each party’s GHG emission is fundamental in terms of emission reduction and climate mitigation. Many leading scientists in my field and neighbor fields participated in COP25, where discussions of ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) were expected. My primary motivation to join the University of Tokyo’s delegation attending COP25 was to talk to these researchers and learn from them.
Secondly, I was also curious about how the negotiations work and what are the different players’ (parties, NGOs, academia, activists etc.) stances and roles. I understand that in reality, to tackle climate change is not like solving a puzzle only in black and white. That is why I was motivated to attend COP25 and exchange ideas with people from different backgrounds.

■What I learned at COP25
First, I gathered some significant information for my study and was able to clear certain clouds about two approaches (bottom-up and top-down) quantifying anthropogenic GHG emissions. To give one example, I went to several side-events organized by IPCC TFI (Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories), which develops and refines internationally-agreed methodology to estimate GHG emissions and removals. From their presentations, I learned that although bottom-up approach is currently widely applied, we need to continue study and develop models, which had or could be included as tier 3 method to quantify GHG emission. Another interesting point I observed is, not all parties have access to the same level of resource and some are facing specific challenges when reporting their inventory. Researchers should think about developing methodologies that are both more accurate and applicable to all.
What I appreciate the most at COP25 is that everyone I talked to was so professional, open-minded, diligent and truly passionate about climate change. It was quite an eye-opener to witness so many people around the world working together in a system with certain transparency. However, I couldn’t help to notice that sometimes the demography in the meeting rooms was not as diversified as one would expect. For example, at the IPCC press conference, where the organization’s current chair and co-chairs from all working groups joined, most of the questions were coming from academia. Few other stakeholders showed up. This is not unexplainable considering that there are often multiple parallel meetings, side-events at the same time. Nonetheless, a bit more mixture at COP would help us reach more consensuses sooner.

■How I plan to make use of what I learned at COP25
I am preparing to integrate the information I gathered at COP25 into my current study. Moreover, my participation as part of the University of Tokyo’s COP25 delegation encourages and inspires me to continue studying CO2 emission.

■Message to other youth:
As you may hear from the news, COP25 broke the record to become the longest climate negotiation since 1995 with disappointing results regarding important topics such as implementation of Article 6, Paris Agreement and consensus on NDCs. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, let’s continue our climate action and keep trying!

【COP25 派遣者体験記⑧ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 8】

1月から続いているCOP25派遣者体験記もあと三人です！
今回は、東京大学PEAK環境学コース所属の、Koto Kagami さんです。
COP参加に当たっては、気候変動に関する世界的な大学連盟（GAUC）の一員にも加わり、中国パビリオンでのパネリストとしても登壇してくれました✨

We only have three more reports to go! Today's article is by Koto Kagami, a sophomore in the Environmental Sciences Course, the PEAK program, the University of Tokyo!
She was a delegate for the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) and talked as a guest panelist at the Chinese pavilion! :)

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My name is Koto Kagami, and I am a current undergraduate student in the PEAK program (majoring in Environmental Science) at the University of Tokyo. I had the privilege to attend last year’s UNFCCC COP25 held in Madrid as the NGO head of UTokyo.

In addition to being a representative of the University of Tokyo, I was also a delegate for the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) alongside Gen and Emma. I was drawn to the idea of participating in the COP due to my academic interest of environmental impact and sustainability of building materials (and its embodied carbon). Despite majoring in Environmental Science, I am still in my second year of studies meaning and I have yet not specialised in an academic field. The COP was an opportunity for me to explore new areas of academia while further exposing myself in areas I was interested in prior to the conference.

Being the youngest participant from UTokyo and the GAUC delegation was initially intimidating as I was surrounded by masters and PhD students who were much more knowledgeable on specific areas of research. However, I was able to turn this opportunity into one where I would learn more from my peers.

My experience at my first COP exceeded my initial experience as I was able to engage multiple events, workshops, presentations and discussions. Here are some highlights:

1. Organising and facilitating events and sessions for GUAC with notable guests and speakers
2. Listening to negotiations taking place. And also going to different booths/ presentations from NGOs, government representatives, youth representatives and gained a wider perspective
3. Speaker at the Japanese pavilion regarding youth in Japan
4. Was a guest panelist at the Chinese pavilion to discuss the future of fashion (& it’s sustainability); we also did a fashion show!
5. Hosting an official UNFCCC live press conference on behalf of the GAUC delegation

I was able to learn a lot through the conference in terms of academia but also about myself and my interests. I had a realisation that areas of life which I had kept separate from school (e.g. fashion and cooking/food/nutrition) would potentially be a subject area I would further pursue research on. I would like the use my knowledge and experience from COP to hold workshops, talks (already did one!) and also tell my friends and family about the exposure I received.

Overall, it was an honour to attend COP as a representative of the University, and I hope to participate in similar events and conferences in the near future!

【COP25 派遣者体験記⑦ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 7】

今回は、東京大学大学院国際人材養成プログラムに在籍している、秀島 佑茉 (Yuma Hideshima) さんです！
国連広報センターやJICAでのインターンシップ経験もある彼女が国際会議で何を感じたのか、必見です！

Today's report is by Yuma Hideshima, a graduate student in the Department of International Studies at the University of Tokyo!
See what a former intern at the UN Information Centre and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) learned in COP✨

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・名前／所属
秀島 佑茉／東京大学大学院新領域創成科学研究科国際協力学専攻 修士1年

・参加動機
国際機関でのインターンシップにおいて、バンコク都庁への調査で気候変動マスタープラン策定プロジェクトについて、環境政策規定因調査を行った際に、適応策についての議論を多く聞きました。インターンシップ以来、適応策について勉強していたが、インターネット上の情報が限られているため、実際にどのように行われているのか、COPに参加することによって、学びを得たいと考えたからです。

・学んだこと
ー適応策について
実際に学んだことは、中国を中心とした大気汚染の現状、緩和策とのシナジー効果、気候感度が高い疾病についてです。特に、世界の93%の15歳以下の子どもが重大な健康リスクに該当する程度に汚染された空気を吸い、年に6万人の子どもが大気汚染によって引き起こされた呼吸器疾患で亡くなっていることが衝撃的でした。

ーファイナンス手法について
インデックスでどのように会計上で移転をしていくか、カーボンマーケットの変遷について、学び直すことができました。そこで、レジームの不確実性などによって、過去20年間においては、かなり国際的な潮流が左右されてきたことを改めて学びました。

ーデータ整備について
レポジトリをどのように管理していくかについてが主なテーマです。登記、エクセルなどの様々なフォーマットがあるなかで、どのように統一化していくか、市場のやり取りのみを記録するのではなく、国内排出量も含めるべきではないかなどを中心に学びました。

・今後どうしたいか
SDGsをどのように環境政策へ適用していくかが、主な議論としてありました。ESG投資などのビジネス界の潮流と、「ラストフロンティア」であるアフリカを中心として、途上国が発展途上ではなくなるなかでの開発の現場、この二つがどのようにクロスしていくかが、今後の大きな着目点だと個人的には考えています。修士論文のテーマについても今回大きな成果を持ち帰ることができたため、研究を進めたいと考えております。

・ユース世代に向けて
COP25では、学びの機会だけでなく、様々なチャンスが沢山あります。これまで文面でしか見聞きしたことがなかったことについて、実際に取り組んでいる人を目の前にして、より現実味を感じることもできますし、ネットワーキングや、予期しない出会いの機会も毎日あります。COP25という機会をどう使うかは、参加者によって様々です。
COP25は、様々なテーマが取り扱われていますが、今回のCOP25で取り扱われなかったテーマについて、なぜ取り扱われなかったか、という側面で見るのも、一つ重要な観点だと感じました。

【COP25 派遣者体験記⑥ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 6】

今日、COP25での体験をシェアしてもらうのは、東京大学四年生で、環境コースに所属の Leah Han さんです！
彼女は、生物多様性に関する研究をしており、それと気候変動との関連の視点でCOPでの学びを吸収してくれました✨

Today's report is by Leah Han, a fourth-year student in Environmental Sciences Course, Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo.
Her research is on biodiversity and she enjoyed learning more about nature-based solutions as the crossroads of climate change and biodiversity conservation :)

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International and interdisciplinary cooperation is crucial for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the central international environmental treaty with near-universal membership. As the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC, important agreements have been adopted at the Conference of Parties (COP), namely: Kyoto Protocol (1997) and Paris Agreement (2015).

As an undergraduate student who is pursuing the field of environmental policy for future career, being part of such an event itself was an exciting and motivating experience. It was a great learning opportunity for me to gain insights in international environmental policy making processes. Through attending numerous side events, I could hear from those with firsthand experiences in environmental NGOs, private sector, environmental ministries and agencies, as well as other groups from the civil society such as universities and indigenous peoples.

Currently the focus of my graduation thesis is on biodiversity strategies in Japan. As the COP in Madrid was on UNFCCC, not Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), I appreciated that I could explore topics outside of my research topic and get fresh inspirations. As nature-based solutions are at the crossroads of climate change and biodiversity conservation, I particularly enjoyed attending side events and pavilion presentations held on that topic.

Of course it was sometimes depressing to witness the limitations of COP, some states’ lack of ambition and sincere commitment towards meeting Paris Agreement target, and parallel discussions on the potential of market-based and technical solutions. Still, being surrounded by like-minded people was a positive (and slightly overwhelming) experience. I was glad to learn about different perspectives and approaches to environmental regime from interaction with other participants after side events.

In the evening of December 6, after all the events at COP for the day had ended, I came across the climate march on my way back home to my accommodation. When I arrived at the march, the speech by Greta Thunberg was just about to begin. I am quoting her speech here simply because I could only understand hers as other speeches and performances were in Spanish. She said, “Real changes happen here outside of COP”.

Since COP25 was the very first international conference of this scale that I have attended, it was truly an eyeopening experience for me. I gained something that I could not from learning about the struggles of people from climate change through texts and lectures. Hopefully, I will be able to make more contribution to the world with what I learned and felt from COP than the amount of ecological footprint I produced through the international travel from Tokyo to Madrid.

【COP25 派遣者体験記⑤ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 5】

今日、COP25での体験をシェアしてもらうのは、理科1類1年生の村木風海さんです！
彼は、地球の危機を止める手段として、空中の二酸化炭素を回収する技術を開発中です。昨年にはForbesの にも選出されています。
そんな彼が気候変動の国際会議でどんな経験をしたのか、ぜひ読んでみてください✨

Today's report is by Kazumi Muraki 村木風海, a freshman at the University of Tokyo.
He is developing techniques to capture carbon from the air and was selected as by Forbes last year!

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理科1類1年生の村木風海（むらき・かずみ）です！COP25には、第一週目の参加でした。

○自己紹介
小学４年生の頃からCO2について研究していて、気候変動問題を解決する為に気候工学の一分野「CO2直接空気回収」の装置開発を行っています。高校２年生の時に総務省異能vationに採択され、「CARS-α」という世界最小サイズの二酸化炭素直接回収装置を量産、実証実験を進めました。現在は炭素回収技術研究機構（CRRA）の機構長として活動していて、空からガソリンの代わりになる燃料を作る「そらりん計画」を東大工学部と共同で進めています。https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/29319

○COP25派遣に応募した理由
CO2直接空気回収の研究者・気候工学の研究者は日本にはほとんどおらず、COP25などの国際会議の場でしか会うことができません。今回のCOP25では、スイスのClimeworks、アメリカのCarbon Engineering, アイスランドの Carbon Recycling International など、気候工学の最先端の技術を持っている企業の研究者や、ハーバード大学のDavid Keith教授などを始めとする気候工学の教授などと会える可能性があると思って応募しました。さらに、僕は普段の研究成果や気候工学の概要を分かりやすく小学生に紹介する特別授業を地元で行っているのですが、子供達に今回のCOP25の様子を伝えることで「学生でも世界のトップたちと話をして、気候変動を止めるアクションを起こすことができるんだ」ということを伝え、これからの未来を作っていく次の世代が行動を起こすきっかけにしたいと考えて応募しました。

○COP25で学んだこと
まず現地に行って驚いたことは、日本と海外の国との熱量の差です。海外の国は（全てではありませんが）初日から積極的にブースを運営し自国のアピールをしていたのに対し、日本は堂々と「3日目から営業します」というような看板を出していました。残念ながら、日本が本気を出し始めたのは小泉環境大臣が訪問する2週目からのようです。近くでブースを出していた韓国、巨大なブースを構えていた中国など、近隣の国々も積極的にP Rしている中での日本の消極さ。化石賞受賞も仕方ないのかもしれません。しかし一方で、日本がすごい！と誇りに思える出来事もありました。それは、他国が政策や投資について宣伝している中で、唯一日本だけがCCS・CCUなどのCO2回収・貯留・利用技術を展示していたことです。「技術立国ニッポン」は既に崩壊しつつあると揶揄されることもありますが、やはり日本は資源や人員に乏しい分、「技術」で世界を変えていけるのだと改めて感じました。そこで危機感と同時に「日本発の技術で世界を変えたい」と強く思うようになり、帰国後の研究により一層力が入っています！

【COP25 派遣者体験記④ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 4】
【COPに行きたい人必見！ | MUST-READ for those who want to go to COP! 】

こんばんは！これまでのCOP派遣者の投稿は読んでいただけたでしょうか？それぞれの派遣者が異なる視点で気候変動への課題意識を持っており、必ずみなさんも共感できるお話があるはずです。
今回は、東京大学国際日本研究コースの学部二年生、Amishi Agrawal さんの体験記！COPに興味を持っている方には必見の内容です✨

Have you read our previous activity reports? Each story is very inspiring and we hope you have been enjoying reading it!
Today's report is by Amishi Agrawal, a sophomore in Japan in East Asia Program, the University of Tokyo. This is a must-read for those who are interested in attending COP!! :)

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Attending COP25 turned out to be one of my most transformative experiences in college yet. However, before I tell you more about that I want to talk about how I got this opportunity in the first place.
When the applications for UTokyo delegates to COP25 opened in August I knew I was going to apply, but I was almost also certain that I wouldn’t get it. After all, there are so many more specialised and knowledgeable students at Todai, and I am only a sophomore, with my major being East Asian Studies (and thereby not directly linked to climate change). However, I still submitted my application and was more than surprised when I made it through.
The reason I am saying this is because I feel like while a component of our application is our knowledge, specialisation and past and current activities, there are two other very singificant components - our plans for the future and a genuine desire backed by a legitimate goal. If any of the other students reading this post feel like they want to attend COP, I would very seriously recommend filling in the application and presenting your true self - even if you think the chances of you actually getting it are nil. You might just surprise yourself!

Now, let’s move on to why attending COP25 was beyond transformative for me. Make no mistake, I am not saying that COP25 was a success or that I was happy after attending it, but simply that it gave me a lot of clarity, orienation, knowledge, exposure, and strategically expanded my network in many places.
Truth be told, attending COP is draining - as a student you go there filled on the inside with the urgency of the climate situation, and then no matter which side of the negotiations you follow you witness the same inaction, stoicness and domination of political and economic goals over saving Mother Earth.
However what you also get to witness and be a part of is the flocks of concerned world citizens - academia, journalists, NGOs, activists and so on - who come to COP and organise their own side events, exhibits, walk-outs and what not. You get to attend presentations on whatever aspect of climate change you are interested in, get to learn about it from the leaders in the field. And the best part is, most of such people that you meet are willing to share, collaborate and join hands.

Since I was also working with a think tank from Belgium, I stayed in Madrid (the venue for COP25) for around 3 weeks.
One of the most significant opportunities I got within these extremely packed 3 weeks was a chance to attend the 15th Conference of Youth. Every year, just before COP (Conference of Parties), the youth of the world organise and attend COY in cooperation with YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency to UN Climate Change processes! I would definitely recommend to those who are lucky enough to get a chance to attend COP26 in the first week to explore the possibility of attending COY as well. It is a very transparent and approachable process, and offers a lot within a short span of 3 days.
This post is but a brief glimpse into my takeaways from COP25, and I would be more than happy to talk to anybody else in our Todai family who wants to attend COP.

Before ending this post, my last point would be - COP is a huge conference and it’s extremely difficult to head in with an idea of what to expect. It is best to talk to at least one individual who has attended the conference previously. I did not do so and very much regretted it, and as I said before - I would love to talk to any of the new aspirants/attendees. I hope I was able to address at least a few of the questions/concerns you had when you started reading this article!

Thank you!
Amishi Agrawal
Year 2, Japan in East Asia Program
PEAK (Programs in English At Komaba)

【COP25 派遣者体験記③ | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 3】

今週も一週間お疲れ様でした🍵
今日、COP25での体験をシェアしてもらうのは、東京大学工学部社会基盤学科4年生の早川元 Gen Hayakawa さんです！

Happy Friday! Today's report is by Gen Hayakawa, a senior at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo :)

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こんにちは。東京大学工学部社会基盤学科4年の早川元と申します。現在は同学科の国際プロジェクト研究室に所属してカンボジアの首都プノンペンにおける都市交通問題を研究しています。

無論交通の問題は排気ガスによる大気汚染や温室効果ガス排出など気候変動の問題と密接に関連しています。しかしながら、今回COP25に参加した一番の目的は別にありました。私はこのまま同研究科の修士課程に進学する予定であり、修士の研究テーマを気候変動、特に気候変動が水資源に与える影響に設定したいと考えており、これから研究をする上での問題意識をはっきりとしたものにしたいという思いがありました。さらに、気候変動を研究するにあたり、同様の関心をもつ学生とのつながりを持ちたいと思い、今回の応募に至りました。

結果として、私の想定を遥かに上回る収穫が得られたと思います。その大きな要因はGAUC(Global Alliance of Universities on Climate)の存在でした。GAUCは、2019年に発足したばかりの新しい組織で、9つの国12の大学で構成されています。主な目的は、今後気候変動問題に取り組む上で大学の存在意義は非常に高く、一つの大学だけでは難しい問題に対して複数の大学で協力して研究を行い、情報発信するというものです。
この団体の活動の一環として、今回15名の学生が派遣されることとなり、うち3人が東大から参加することになりました。

最初の印象としては、学生の気候変動に対する関心が非常に高く、議論がとても楽しかったということです。途上国の交通を研究している私は参加者の中ではやや関心が異なったため、普段とは違う視点での議論ができて非常に有意義でした。GAUCの活動として、私たちはChina Pavilionにおいて複数のイベントに参加しました。さらに、Japan Pavilionに登壇し、気候変動に対する議論をする機会もいただきました。

今回の経験を通して、本当にいい仲間と巡り会うことができたと実感するとともに、多様なバックグラウンドを持った人と活発に議論を交わすことにより新たな視点を得る重要性を再確認しました。気候変動という問題は、正解となる1つのアプローチが存在しない上、多数のステークホルダーの利害関係が存在する難しい問題であるからこそ、多様な視点、多様な世代からの意見が重要であることを認識できたことは大きな収穫であったと思います。

今後は、今回得られた知見と繋がりを十分に生かし、気候変動問題解決にあたう限り大きな貢献ができるよう精進していきたいと思います。とても素晴らしい経験をさせていただきありがとうございました。

【COP25 派遣者体験記② | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 2】

今日も、COP25参加者の体験記をシェアしていきます！
今回は東京大学大学院国際人材養成プログラムに在籍している、Emma Marcosさんです！

I hope you had a chance to read yesterday's article by Riho :)
Today's report is by Emma Marcos, a graduate student in the Global Society Program at the University of Tokyo!

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My name is Emma Marcos, and I am a current graduate student in the Global Society Program at the University of Tokyo. I had the opportunity to attend COP25 in Madrid this past December and would like to share my thoughts on the event now that I’ve had a few weeks to reflect on my experiences there.

I was initially attracted to the prospect of attending COP25 due to its relevance to my own academic interests. My graduate thesis work is on global distributive justice in the context of the Anthropocene; in other words, I’m interested in how the issue of climate change reveals important lacunae in how we describe and apply theories of justice. I filter my understanding of justice through the prism of the Anthropocene, in an attempt to approach contemporary issues of justice in the context of an anthropogenically altered terrestrial environment. While COP25 is not strictly speaking about justice, it is, in my view, the invisible subtext of the event. As a conference about global governance on climate change, I imagined that COP25 would present multiple opportunities to engage with climate justice. Of course, “justice” is a multifold concept that holds different meanings for different individuals, communities, and juridical cultures. Notions of justice can also depend on location and time period. I hoped to hear from a variety of stakeholders at COP25, all of whom could enrich my academic project by providing their own take on climate justice.

Indeed, the number of participants at COP25 was staggering, and I was impressed by the diversity in viewpoints present at the event. I was fortunate enough to interact with many students, politicians, business leaders, and activists, through both the University of Tokyo and the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate. Through discussions, presentations, and workshops, I was able to navigate the co-mingling, convergence, and (not infrequent) conflict between perspectives on climate change adaptation and mitigation that emerged at COP25. I learned more about the minutia of climate change science from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) experts, as well as details of policy making and statecraft that go into creating and negotiating complex international agreements. I was also able to attend side-events outside my own field, learning in that way how climate change interacts with a diverse set of industries. As a result, I was able to develop a “constellation” of climate change, that is, a more rooted and nuanced comprehension of how climate change has affected human and nonhuman lives in both the micro and macro sense. I hope to incorporate this new understanding into my academic work, and to attend more conferences like COP25 in the future.

【COP25 派遣者体験記① | Activity Reports by COP25 Participants No. 1】

皆さん、お久しぶりです！
前回の投稿から日が開いてしまいましたが、2018年に引き続き、昨年12月にもSUS+ UTokyoから気候変動枠組み条約国会議（COP25）に参加者を派遣することができました！
今回は、当初はチリのサンティアゴでの開催予定でしたが、急遽スペインのマドリードで開かれることとなりました。

これから、今年度派遣者たちの思いや学んだこと、今後に活かそうとしていることについて発信していきます！それぞれ深い学びを得てくれたようなので、ぜひチェックしてみてくださいね :)

第一回目は、東京大学医学部医学科5年の伊佐地 里帆さん Riho Isaji です！
気候変動×健康についての彼女の視点、とても面白いですよ✨

Hello! Last December, SUS+ sent delegates to COP25 to UNFCCC as we did in 2018. The conference was initially supposed to take place in Santiago in Chile, but it was changed to Madrid in Spain due to social unrest in Chile.

We are going to share the motivation for COP25, learnings at the conference, and future vision of delegates on our page! Please follow our articles :)

The first article is by Riho Isaji, a fifth-year student in the Faculty of Medicine, who participated in COP25 from Dec. 1 to Dec. 7 in 2019.

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私はCOP25の前半1週間に参加しました。今回のCOPは開催地が直前にサンティアゴ（チリ）からマドリードに変更になり、一時は参加できるのかどうかも危ぶまれましたが、当初の予定通り無事行くことができました。この場をお借りして関係する先生方・SUS+のexecutive committee memberの方々にお礼申し上げます。

私は医学部に所属しており、気候変動とは一見無関係な分野を専攻しているように思われそうですが、実は医学、特に公衆衛生の分野では、気候変動はEnvironmental Healthとして最も重要な問題の一つとして取り上げられています。
今回のCOPにも世界保健機関（WHO）や国際医学生連盟（IFMSA）からの参加者が多く見られ、WHOやSDGsのHealth分野を取り上げた議論やサイドイベント等も行われていました。会期前半ということもあり、本会議の議論はまだあまり煮詰まっていない印象でしたが、サイドイベントの内容が充実しており、WHOのイベントではDepartment of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health (PHE)のDirectorやIEMSAの代表の医学生から直接お話を聞くことができました。
特に印象的だったのが、世界の60％以上の医学生がclimateに関するstudent related educational activityがあることを知っている（つまり、保健分野における気候変動の重要性に気付いている）と回答した一方で、世界の医学部でclimateに関するカリキュラムがあるのは15％に過ぎない、というIFMSAの調査結果でした。私自身の感覚としては、大学ではそのようなactivityは殆ど見たことがありませんし、認知の低さや医学部のカリキュラムを考えても、そもそも日本は国際保健・公衆衛生分野自体がかなり遅れているという事を改めて認識しました。

WHOは昨年のCOP24の際にも気候変動と健康の関係を分析した特別報告書「COP24 special report: health and climate change」を発表しており、気候変動対応より得られる健康便益は気候変動対応コストを遥かに上回ると表明しています（大気汚染により毎年700万人が死亡し、5.11兆米ドル（約580兆円）の福祉効用損失が発生しているのに対し、パリ協定の目標達成のためにはGDPの1%のコストが必要と試算されています）。
COP25ではパリ協定の実施ルールの詳細決定が論点の一つでしたが、保健分野の政策に関してもWHOの101ヵ国を対象としたレポートによると51ヵ国で保健と気候変動に関するプランが導入されているものの、プラン実施のモニタリングを行っている国は半数程度であり、導入はするも実施できていない現状が強調されました。また、半数以上の国が実現の障害となっているのが財源確保の難しさだと回答しており、気候変動の重大性の認識を高めるだけではもはや不十分で、政策実施のための財源確保等の具体的対策を考案していくための様々な分野の連携が不可欠だと実感しました。
しかし上述のようにそもそも日本の保健分野ではまだ認識自体が不十分のようにも感じられ、自分が所属する医学部のコミュニティ等で少しでも認識を高めていきたいと思います。また来年度WHOのPHEの気候変動に関わる部署でインターンを行う予定であり、今回の経験を活かして国際保健分野での政策導入・実施に関して問題解決の糸口を見つけていきたいと考えています。