College students from Minnesota reflect on attending COP30 summit in Brazil
Students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University at COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November.
Courtesy of College of St. Benedict and St. John's University
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Audio transcript
CHRIS FARRELL: This is Minnesota Now. I'm Chris Farrell, in for Nina Moini. We've been talking about the snow. But now, we're going to go to a very different scene, a city on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. Belém, Brazil hosted this year's United Nations Climate Conference, which ended this past weekend.
Now, more than 50,000 people attended COP30. Representatives of the United States government, however, were absent, but a few Minnesotans were there. That includes students from a class at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University. Joining me now to talk about the experience are two St. Ben's juniors. Ella Chiroux is studying mathematics. Hi, Ella.
ELLA CHIROUX: Hi, Chris. How are you?
CHRIS FARRELL: Good. I'm glad you could join us. And Abby Robinson is studying environmental science. Hi, Abby.
ABBY ROBINSON: How are you?
CHRIS FARRELL: Good. So Abby, can you start, just start off describing what it was like to be at COP30. I mean, what did it look and sound like?
ABBY ROBINSON: Yeah, absolutely. It was really overwhelming but in the best way. There was just a lot of world leaders, scientists, activists, so many people there. And it was just bustling with all of the activity, and the sessions, and the conferences that were happening on the level. And there were colors everywhere, and there was Indigenous celebrations and protests. It was just full of life and people everywhere you looked.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, what stood out to you at the scene at COP30?
ELLA CHIROUX: I would agree with everything Abby said. It was overwhelming but in the best way. There were so many incredible people that were full of such passion for the things that they were talking about. So that's kind of just what was the overlying focus for me over the week, is all the passion from the people that were there.
CHRIS FARRELL: And so Ella, were you going from session to session in different rooms, or was it mostly held in a big auditorium?
ELLA CHIROUX: So there was a big room with all these different pavilions that I spent a lot of time walking around talking to all kinds of different people. And then there was a separate area of events where I also spent a lot of time, where it was kind of just a little more closed off, a little quieter from the outside scene. So a little bit of everything.
CHRIS FARRELL: Cool. And Abby, I understand you got there at least a few days early. And so you watched the city change from pre-conference to the conference in full swing?
ABBY ROBINSON: Yes, I did. Being there the four days before the conference started was so interesting because I feel like I really got to experience what Belém maybe feels like on a normal day-to-day basis. And a lot of the people I talked to were really excited to speak with a foreigner and practice their English. And it was really fun to just experience that and then watch as the city unfolded into conference-ready.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, as I understand it, everybody has a research project that was tied to the conference. So tell me about yours.
ELLA CHIROUX: Yeah. So I was looking into the effects of hydrology, agriculture, and burning on the Pantanal wetlands. And the majority of the Pantanal in Brazil. So I thought that would be a really good topic for this COP in particular. And there were a lot of really good conversations while I was there about wildfires, both in the Pantanal but then also in the Amazon rainforest.
CHRIS FARRELL: And so what was your, in terms of your research project, what do you think is your main takeaway after having been at the conference?
ELLA CHIROUX: I think a lot of people were very-- the Pantanal and the Amazon and the places I was really speaking to people about, that's their home and their culture and their livelihood. So there was a lot of passion and love for protecting these places.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Abby, how about you, your project, and what were you learning about?
ABBY ROBINSON: Yeah. My project looked at how faith-based frameworks and different religious frameworks help to shape the moral and inspiration for climate action. And I kind of wanted to look at, because I know a lot of people are motivated not just by data alone, but by a sense of stewardship and purpose, especially for our Earth.
So I was studying how these values can support real, on-the-ground change. And there were a lot of people at the conference willing to speak about this in particular. And I really just-- one of the biggest things that stood out to me was that when communities feel seen, it really makes the difference. You can't just ignore people's identities and values when it comes to actually making a change on this large scale of a level that we're trying to do.
CHRIS FARRELL: And I mentioned earlier in the introduction that Trump administration didn't participate in this year's conference. Now, the countries did reach an agreement-- more money to help countries adapt to a hotter world, but didn't mention fossil fuels, which obviously are main cause of climate change. So Ella, how satisfied were you with the results of COP30?
ELLA CHIROUX: I think, unfortunately, there's a lot of focus for negotiations comes down to money and then focusing on oneself. For me, getting to be there in a space where Belém did a great job of creating space for protests and being in a location where many Indigenous communities could participate, I think a lot of voices were able to get out just on that level. And I mean, overall, the negotiations, we kind of knew how that was going to go going into it. But I think there was a lot of space for people to be heard.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Abby, having been there, did this affect your hope about the ability of the world to deal with climate change? Did you come out of there more pessimistic? What was your reaction? Go ahead, Abby.
ABBY ROBINSON: Going into it, I was a little nervous just because I felt like I was going to be let down. So I tried to have my hopes really low. And I think on the broad-scale level, from the way that everything turned out and the way the negotiations ended, I'm a little disappointed.
But in a hole, being there on the ground, witnessing all the people who are so passionate about change and seeing the large-scale protests and just activism happening on the ground, I think that really, honestly lifted my spirits and made me have some hope about the future.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, same question to you.
ELLA CHIROUX: Yeah. I think it was really powerful to be in a place with so many people that in a way are looking the same direction that I am and care about the same things that I do. It was just this community of people that you automatically knew you had a connection in some way.
CHRIS FARRELL: And I'm going to ask you both the same question. Start with you, Abby. What do you want to share with people who weren't there? What's the one thing you want people to know?
ABBY ROBINSON: Honestly, I think it's just so important to know how many people actually care and the wide variety of people that do care because there were people from high-level politicians to on-the-ground activists to Indigenous people from the rainforest in the Belém area. And I think it's just so important to know that it's not just scientists who are caring and wanting to make change. It's not just people who are really into the Earth and wanting to make a change. But there's people from all walks of life, old to young, who are wanting to make a difference. And I think that's just really important for everyone to know because it shows how much we care as a population.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, when you're sharing your experience with some of your classmates who weren't there, what is it you really want them to understand?
ELLA CHIROUX: I think for me, I guess being a very young person at a place like this, your voice is being heard, and people in charge are impressed and are hearing you to some degree. I felt very heard by a lot of the people that I spoke to.
CHRIS FARRELL: Well, I think it's really cool that both of you were able to go, and it sounds like an incredible learning experience. So thank you so much for taking your time to share with our audience.
ELLA CHIROUX: Yeah, thank you.
ABBY ROBINSON: Absolutely. Thank you.
CHRIS FARRELL: Ella Chiroux and Abby Robinson are juniors at the College of St. Benedict. They are part of the class that attended COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Now, more than 50,000 people attended COP30. Representatives of the United States government, however, were absent, but a few Minnesotans were there. That includes students from a class at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University. Joining me now to talk about the experience are two St. Ben's juniors. Ella Chiroux is studying mathematics. Hi, Ella.
ELLA CHIROUX: Hi, Chris. How are you?
CHRIS FARRELL: Good. I'm glad you could join us. And Abby Robinson is studying environmental science. Hi, Abby.
ABBY ROBINSON: How are you?
CHRIS FARRELL: Good. So Abby, can you start, just start off describing what it was like to be at COP30. I mean, what did it look and sound like?
ABBY ROBINSON: Yeah, absolutely. It was really overwhelming but in the best way. There was just a lot of world leaders, scientists, activists, so many people there. And it was just bustling with all of the activity, and the sessions, and the conferences that were happening on the level. And there were colors everywhere, and there was Indigenous celebrations and protests. It was just full of life and people everywhere you looked.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, what stood out to you at the scene at COP30?
ELLA CHIROUX: I would agree with everything Abby said. It was overwhelming but in the best way. There were so many incredible people that were full of such passion for the things that they were talking about. So that's kind of just what was the overlying focus for me over the week, is all the passion from the people that were there.
CHRIS FARRELL: And so Ella, were you going from session to session in different rooms, or was it mostly held in a big auditorium?
ELLA CHIROUX: So there was a big room with all these different pavilions that I spent a lot of time walking around talking to all kinds of different people. And then there was a separate area of events where I also spent a lot of time, where it was kind of just a little more closed off, a little quieter from the outside scene. So a little bit of everything.
CHRIS FARRELL: Cool. And Abby, I understand you got there at least a few days early. And so you watched the city change from pre-conference to the conference in full swing?
ABBY ROBINSON: Yes, I did. Being there the four days before the conference started was so interesting because I feel like I really got to experience what Belém maybe feels like on a normal day-to-day basis. And a lot of the people I talked to were really excited to speak with a foreigner and practice their English. And it was really fun to just experience that and then watch as the city unfolded into conference-ready.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, as I understand it, everybody has a research project that was tied to the conference. So tell me about yours.
ELLA CHIROUX: Yeah. So I was looking into the effects of hydrology, agriculture, and burning on the Pantanal wetlands. And the majority of the Pantanal in Brazil. So I thought that would be a really good topic for this COP in particular. And there were a lot of really good conversations while I was there about wildfires, both in the Pantanal but then also in the Amazon rainforest.
CHRIS FARRELL: And so what was your, in terms of your research project, what do you think is your main takeaway after having been at the conference?
ELLA CHIROUX: I think a lot of people were very-- the Pantanal and the Amazon and the places I was really speaking to people about, that's their home and their culture and their livelihood. So there was a lot of passion and love for protecting these places.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Abby, how about you, your project, and what were you learning about?
ABBY ROBINSON: Yeah. My project looked at how faith-based frameworks and different religious frameworks help to shape the moral and inspiration for climate action. And I kind of wanted to look at, because I know a lot of people are motivated not just by data alone, but by a sense of stewardship and purpose, especially for our Earth.
So I was studying how these values can support real, on-the-ground change. And there were a lot of people at the conference willing to speak about this in particular. And I really just-- one of the biggest things that stood out to me was that when communities feel seen, it really makes the difference. You can't just ignore people's identities and values when it comes to actually making a change on this large scale of a level that we're trying to do.
CHRIS FARRELL: And I mentioned earlier in the introduction that Trump administration didn't participate in this year's conference. Now, the countries did reach an agreement-- more money to help countries adapt to a hotter world, but didn't mention fossil fuels, which obviously are main cause of climate change. So Ella, how satisfied were you with the results of COP30?
ELLA CHIROUX: I think, unfortunately, there's a lot of focus for negotiations comes down to money and then focusing on oneself. For me, getting to be there in a space where Belém did a great job of creating space for protests and being in a location where many Indigenous communities could participate, I think a lot of voices were able to get out just on that level. And I mean, overall, the negotiations, we kind of knew how that was going to go going into it. But I think there was a lot of space for people to be heard.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Abby, having been there, did this affect your hope about the ability of the world to deal with climate change? Did you come out of there more pessimistic? What was your reaction? Go ahead, Abby.
ABBY ROBINSON: Going into it, I was a little nervous just because I felt like I was going to be let down. So I tried to have my hopes really low. And I think on the broad-scale level, from the way that everything turned out and the way the negotiations ended, I'm a little disappointed.
But in a hole, being there on the ground, witnessing all the people who are so passionate about change and seeing the large-scale protests and just activism happening on the ground, I think that really, honestly lifted my spirits and made me have some hope about the future.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, same question to you.
ELLA CHIROUX: Yeah. I think it was really powerful to be in a place with so many people that in a way are looking the same direction that I am and care about the same things that I do. It was just this community of people that you automatically knew you had a connection in some way.
CHRIS FARRELL: And I'm going to ask you both the same question. Start with you, Abby. What do you want to share with people who weren't there? What's the one thing you want people to know?
ABBY ROBINSON: Honestly, I think it's just so important to know how many people actually care and the wide variety of people that do care because there were people from high-level politicians to on-the-ground activists to Indigenous people from the rainforest in the Belém area. And I think it's just so important to know that it's not just scientists who are caring and wanting to make change. It's not just people who are really into the Earth and wanting to make a change. But there's people from all walks of life, old to young, who are wanting to make a difference. And I think that's just really important for everyone to know because it shows how much we care as a population.
CHRIS FARRELL: And Ella, when you're sharing your experience with some of your classmates who weren't there, what is it you really want them to understand?
ELLA CHIROUX: I think for me, I guess being a very young person at a place like this, your voice is being heard, and people in charge are impressed and are hearing you to some degree. I felt very heard by a lot of the people that I spoke to.
CHRIS FARRELL: Well, I think it's really cool that both of you were able to go, and it sounds like an incredible learning experience. So thank you so much for taking your time to share with our audience.
ELLA CHIROUX: Yeah, thank you.
ABBY ROBINSON: Absolutely. Thank you.
CHRIS FARRELL: Ella Chiroux and Abby Robinson are juniors at the College of St. Benedict. They are part of the class that attended COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
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