“It has become increasingly more difficult to come to an agreement that is ambitious yet feasible and that will address the problem at hand,” said Maria Ivanova, director of Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. “Issues like climate change and plastic pollution are inherently systemic, cross-sectoral, and embedded in economic structures.”
Protecting 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.
