Reflections from Northwestern University's COP29 Delegation: Day 0
For a fourth year, a delegation of Northwestern University students and faculty supported by the Buffett Institute is among more than 30,000 researchers, policymakers, industry leaders and activists at the world’s largest annual international treaty negotiations and climate summit, the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), this year hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan. Each day, a different Northwestern delegate is blogging about their experiences and reflections. Day 0 features a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering.
5:45 a.m. in Baku, Azerbaijan: As our plane descended toward Heydar Aliyev Airport, a giant gas flare lit up the night sky—a fitting welcome to the “Land of Fire,” where we’ve come to attend COP29. The airport, a blend of grand architecture and walls of advertisements about investments on climate change mitigation, spoke volumes about Azerbaijan’s dedication to climate action, with banners from Socar Green, the sustainability branch of the state oil company, and statements from the Azerbaijani government.
We took a 100% electric bus to our hotel, passing by towering buildings before arriving in Baku’s old town. The city gleamed, with a dedicated team of workers meticulously preparing for the 30,000 guests anticipated over these two weeks. Baku’s readiness for COP29 was evident at every turn; it felt like an army of kind, well-trained staff was there to ensure the smooth flow of the conference. The city had information booths all over to guide the attendees to and from the venue.
After settling into our hotel, we spent the morning walking by the shore of the Caspian Sea and exploring the city—we wanted to understand how COP was important to our host country. In the afternoon, we headed to Baku Stadium in the afternoon to pick up our badges. Even with the growing crowd, the process was seamless—no waiting in line, just an easy, organized system for all attendees.
Baku is ready for COP29, and so are we.