After a Year of Hard Climate Talks, ‘Minilateralism’ Is an Alternative
From protecting biodiversity to tackling plastic pollution, meeting after meeting this year ended in disappointment.
Climate demonstrators protest against investments in fossil fuels during the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, DC.
Photographer: Kent Nishimura/BloombergProtecting the planet is a global endeavor that only works if countries agree to take collective action. Judging by how the most important climate negotiations went this year, things aren’t going well.
In 2024, talks to halt plastic pollution, protect biodiversity and end desertification all failed. Meanwhile, a deal at the COP29 summit left developing nations unhappy with the amount of money agreed upon to help them battle global warming and avoided mentioning the need to move away from fossil fuels.