The climate debate is here again. From the first Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Berlin in 1995, the world is on the 27th.

Except for positional and rhetorical gains, the international community has gained nothing. In fact, there have been more expenditures what with the new agenda and varied participation.

If there is solid opposition to high-level climate conferences today, it is because of the failure of the economies that influence world trade.

CoP should stop to be a showpiece if it must gain any respect or recognition.




Bhutan, a small country hosted one of the most difficult runs recently. International participants had to accept that the Snowman Run is the toughest on earth yet.

Bhutan hosted the event because if the threatres of world conferences are losing their perspective because of their self-interest, there is a need for a shift.

It was a good shift for the participants who ran for the purpose, not for fame.




From Berlin, we are today here in Egypt. We also know Cop 2023 is going to happen in Dubai, the UAE. The sad reality is that we will still be talking about modalities and high-flowing talks and commitment, especially from self-proclaimed world leaders and oil-producing giants.

To bring the agenda of the current climate conference —“A top-level delegation from WMO will attend CoP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 6-18 November 2022. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“The Egyptian presidency’s goals are framed around mitigation, adaptation, finance, and collaboration. The COP27 action agenda focuses on implementation, mobilizing collective efforts for ambitious emission reductions from different sectors, enhanced transformative adaptation agenda on the ground, enabling flows of appropriate finance, and delivering on the ground on-time and at-scale.”




Nothing has changed.

We are still talking about “mitigation, adaptation, finance, and collaboration”.

For a more divided world community today, this is a business as usual. For the people living in the mountains and on the shores of big seas, CoP is a mockery.

The reality is that small and vulnerable nations, for no fault of their own, will have to seek funds to protect human lives and the landscapes on which they so far thrived, even without CoP.




Bhutan looks with hope every time the CoP leaders gather. There has been more disappointment than reasons for optimism.

CoP should rise beyond gathering world leaders. CoP should be about urgent actions.