The Duke Experience at COP29

Duke experts and students were on the scene in Azerbaijan for the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference

Group of students sitting in front of a COP29 sign
The Duke University contingent at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan included 17 students enrolled in Duke’s U.N. Climate Change Negotiations Practicum course. Photo courtesy of Dima Zlenko.

World leaders gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November for the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP29—and Duke University experts and students were on the scene.

The Duke experts shared insights at panel discussions, networked, and advanced collaborative initiatives. Students from degree programs from five Duke schools were all enrolled in Duke’s United Nations Climate Change Negotiations Practicum. They attended events, explored pavilions focused on specific issues and countries, and supported “clients” including country delegations and non-governmental organizations. Students shared real-time observations on their course blog.

Jackson Ewing,director of energy and climate policy for Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, teaches the practicum course and explained that COP29’s primary goal was to create a new agreement on the types and amounts of climate finance that developed countries would provide to their developing counterparts. The outcome left few satisfied. “However,” he added, “as with past COP decisions, implementation work began as soon as the ink was dry on the outcome agreement, and the COP29 climate finance results will be developed, interpreted, reimagined and executed for years to come.”

At the conference, Ewing launched a new report analyzing how U.S. electricity demand could change over the next decade and what the implications might be for greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis was conducted by Martin Ross, Ewing, Brian Murray, Tim Profeta, Robert Stout, and Michael Yoo for Energy Pathways USA.

Also notable was the launch of an updated digital U.S. Department of Interior Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap, developed in partnership with the Nicholas Institute. In addition to overviews of 29 nature-based solutions strategies, the user-friendly resource now includes more than 400 case studies. One of the Duke authors recently published a Q&A about the roadmap.

Clara Park, visiting political science professor at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences who was part of the delegation, offered a post-COP commentary: her recommendations for continuing a multilateral approach to climate financing to help developing countries.

Snapshots of COP29

Dmytro (Dima) Zlenko and Gary Alvarez Mejia.
Dmytro (Dima) Zlenko and Gary Alvarez Mejia. Photo courtesy of Dima Zlenko.

“The [U.N. Climate Change Negotiations Practicum course] introduced me to the challenge of balancing optimism with realism, particularly when addressing the urgent need for climate action in the face of political and economic constraints.”

Gary Alvarez Mejia, master of public policy student at the Sanford School of Public Policy
Group of panelists on a stage with a lot of people in the audience.
Ashley Ward(far right on stage), director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, was a panelist at numerous COP29 events. Ward and other Duke experts are currently working with the United Nations on a package of policy solutions designed to improve extreme heat governance and resilience worldwide. Photo courtesy of Ashley Ward.

“As extreme heat becomes a leading threat to human health, livelihoods, and infrastructure, it also plays a critical role in shaping decisions about mobility and displacement ...  [The International Organization for Migration] event reinforced the critical importance of cross-sector collaboration, from governments and NGOs to private-sector stakeholders, to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat and protect vulnerable populations.”

Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub
Duke students at COP29 met with Stephen Hammer (third from right), CEO of the New York Climate Exchange, in which Duke is a core partner. Photo courtesy of Stephen Hammer.
Gabriela Nagle Alverio, J.D.’25, Ph.D.’26, (third from right) spoke at multiple COP29 events. Nagle Alverio was a graduate teaching assistant for the practicum cohort; her research focuses on the impacts of climate change on human rights and human security. Photo courtesy of Gabriela Nagle Alverio.

“The goals for countries to be a part of COP are multidimensional, and only a few veterans of international negotiation have the experience to give an approximate estimate of a country’s goal, especially the most impactful players. We were lucky enough to meet one of these veterans, Stephen Hammer, the CEO of New York Climate Exchange and [an] ex-negotiator.”

Dmytro (Dima) Zlenko, M.E.M./M.B.A. student at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

“From individuals teaching local farmers climate-resilient agricultural practices to … those starting non-profits to ensure that LGBTQ+ and disabled people are included in disaster recovery plans – climate action is alive and well. I am leaving COP even more convicted to continue my own climate action: expanding legal protections for those affected by climate change.”

Gabriela Nagle Alverio, practicum T.A. pursuing a J.D. at Duke Law and a Ph.D. in environmental policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Sanford.
Duke students explored pavilions, engaging directly with delegates and networking with COP29 attendees. Pictured: Ummamah Shah, left, and Lu Liu. Photo courtesy of Lu Liu.
Duke students explored pavilions, engaging directly with delegates and networking with COP29 attendees. Pictured: Ummamah Shah, left, and Lu Liu. Photo courtesy of Lu Liu.

“In the afternoon, I serendipitously stopped by the Chinese pavilion, where the speaker was discussing the Carbon Generalized System of Preferences (CGSP)—a topic closely aligned with my research interests. CGSP is a framework that uses monetary and non-monetary incentives to encourage sustainable behaviors.”

Lu Liu, master of public policy student at the Sanford School of Public Policy
Sameer Swarup on the floor talking to reporters
Practicum student Sameer Swarup, M.E.M.’26, closely followed the processes of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage topic while attending COP29, and shared insights with reporters who approached him for commentary. Photo courtesy of Ryan Perez.

“On my last day at COP, I sat next to an environmental minister from South Sudan on the bus, his upbeat smile in stark contrast with my slouched shoulders (of disappointment). He had just exchanged contacts with a researcher from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and was looking forward to partnering with him and raising awareness of the ocean’s weather impacts in landlocked South Sudan. While there should be more conferences like it, COP remains the one place where vulnerable countries can build access to the knowledge and resources they need to survive.”

Sameer Swarup, master of environmental management student at the Nicholas School of the Environment
Students exploring Azerbaijan
Students had the chance to explore Azerbaijan in their down time, including visits to Qobustan, a settlement and municipality in Baku best known for its famous rock petroglyphs and mud volcanoes. Pictured from left to right: Kayla Fericy, Gabriela Nagle Alverio, and B. Eni Owoeye. Photo courtesy of Kayla Fericy.

“Still, hope persists. The voices of youth activists, indigenous leaders, and grassroots movements are growing louder. These groups are increasingly shaping the conversation and holding negotiators accountable. If COP29 taught us anything, it’s that the energy and solutions exist—we just need the political will to match.”

Kayla Fericy, Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering at Pratt