By Rachel Max ‘24 The Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM) attended this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP), the world’s largest and most influential climate summit, in November in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Hosted by the UN, COPs are open to both political leaders and the public. Despite the COP ostensibly being open to the public, JYCM was only granted clearance status to visit the “Green Zone” of the convention center, and they were thus unable to see much of the significant negotiations taking place, which mostly occurred in the higher security “Blue Zone.” JYCM members also felt that COP was largely for show, and many felt it disregarded the important issue of climate justice.
“One thing I noticed while at the conference is that it is very much intended for people to network and a lot of the conference felt performative,” said JYCM member Elijah Harris. “It was plain to see the impact of corporate greenwashing, with advertisements posted everywhere, giant plastic decorations planted around and even Coca-Cola, the world’s biggest plastic polluter, being a major sponsor of the conference,” added JYCM member Anna Dubey. While JYCM members did consider the COP27 conference to be beneficial, largely due to its large-scale spreading of the climate message and generally raising awareness, many felt that it fell flat on its goals. “In talking to people who had access to the ‘Blue Zone’ which was where most of the main conference was taking place, it was described as very disorganized and chaotic,” said Harris. JYCM members also felt that corporate greenwashing was taking away from the critical discussions that needed to be taking place. “In future COPs, I would like to see an atmosphere less run by corporate interests and instead reflecting the genuine climate concern of the people in attendance,” said Dubey. However, the trip had value outside the conference, as JYCM members had the opportunity to strengthen connections with Jewish climate activists from around the world. “We had an amazing Shabbat dinner in the middle of Egypt with Jewish leaders, activists and scientists, and building those connections felt like a valuable step toward advocating for climate action together,” said Dubey. Although he did not attend the COP27 trip, which only included college-age JYCM activists, GOA sophomore and JYCM Policy Director Shayne Cytrynbaum remarked on the importance of strengthening the Jewish community’s involvement in climate activism, saying, “currently the Jewish communities around the world are facing the compounded crises of upticks in antisemitism and climate change, among others. But these crises also provide an opportunity, as by showing leadership when it comes to climate action, the Jewish community can be a force for good in the world, which would help boost our community’s public image.” Cytrynbaum also recalled how Israel has often boosted its own reputation by promptly providing disaster relief aid in many developing countries, and that by fighting for climate justice on a global scale, the Jewish community can similarly mitigate the spread of antisemitism around the world. The Jewish Youth Climate Movement released an official statement about the COP27 conference, saying, “This experience was full of meaningful education in Israel and at the conference itself. While it was a meaningful and unique experience, we also grappled with the challenges regarding the greenwashing at the event and a lack of action from the UN, particularly the fact that curbing fossil fuel emissions was not included in the Loss and Damage discussion or ultimate negotiated deal.”
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