When I played my role in the policy exercise, I felt excited yet anxious. Since my usual daily decisions include where to eat or when to study, the task of deciding the most effective way to cut emissions and fight climate change intimated me. As the exercise progressed, however, I felt empowered and satisfied.
As a member of the developed nations, I initially had a close minded view during negotiations. I assumed since our countries were pledging lots of funds because already have things like stable government, widely-accessible clean water and food, and healthy economies that other countries should too. At first, I did not like hearing that other, less fortunate countries were not pledging nearly as much and actually needed money from us. After listening to their representatives, however, I understood that they simply did not have the resources to pledge.
Our group changed our ideas when we decided to pledge more money to the developing nations. Their representatives pleaded with us in a logical, level-headed manner and assured us the pledged resources would not only help their nations but help the entire world by allowing the developing nations to cut back on emissions.
The representatives of the developing nations approaching us in a calm manner to ask for donations prompted this change. Their well thought-out, cohesive explanation of where the money would go and how it would be used to fight climate change ultimately made my group change our minds.
Yes, I believe emissions can be cut once enough people/nations realize they must put the greater good of the world ahead of the greater good of their nation. The world is in a classic prisoner’s dilemma, but they can escape this problem with proper coordination. If the nations assure each other that everyone will contribute their fair share and no one will be put at a serious economic disadvantage by agreeing to fight climate change, then real change can be achieved.
The biggest barrier was selfishness. Nations did not want to pledge too much in fear that they would economically fall behind the rest of the world. You could tell, especially in the beginning, that most groups were looking our for themselves first and the world second. While this is a very natural and human way to negotiate, all nations must work to change.
We can catalyze change in the U.S. by placing laws on oil companies and big corporations that limit emissions. While small, individual changes like abstaining from plastic straws or using less water are somewhat helpful and well-intentioned, the biggest changes will come from limiting massive companies.