COP30 in Belém, Brazil, offered a vivid reminder that climate diplomacy is not an abstract global exercise but a political process shaped by people, pressure, and public engagement. As early-career scientists, we often picture the negotiations as technically driven arenas where evidence guides outcomes. But watching COP30 up close makes one thing clear: decisions are made long before delegates enter the room. Understanding how that process works and how to influence it may be just as important as the science itself.
How Do You Become a Negotiator? The Answer Reveals the System
One question that comes up often among students and young researchers is: How do you become a climate negotiator? Despite the mystique, the path is relatively defined. Most negotiators arrive with substantial technical or legal backgrounds and are hired through ministries or government agencies. Others work closely with political appointees, providing policy expertise long before COP begins. Very few people “fall into” negotiation roles; they are embedded in national climate machinery. For early-career researchers, this is a critical insight. Entering COP as a negotiator requires expertise, but it also requires understanding the political structures that shape climate commitments. Scientific knowledge matters, but the negotiation tables run on power, priorities, and long-term diplomatic relationships.
Influence Starts at Home, Not at COP
One of the most important messages repeated in events and conversations was that scientists do not need to be negotiators to shape climate decisions. Influence does not start at an international conference; it starts in communities. Building coalitions within universities, local governments, and community organizations is one of the most powerful ways to drive climate action. These coalitions can advocate for adaptation projects, environmental justice, water resilience, or the specific priorities your community cares about. Crucially, effective climate work requires speaking to those priorities, not forcing every conversation to be about climate itself. And another message, delivered bluntly: don’t just canvas, vote. Political will is what determines national positions at COP. The scientific community cannot expect evidence-based climate policy if we do not participate fully in the political process that defines who represents us internationally.
A Conversation With U.S. Leaders: “The U.S. Is Not Leaving the Climate Fight”
One of the clearest examples of how politics shapes climate diplomacy came from a COP30 event session with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and climate lawyer Sue Biniaz. With shifting political winds in the United States, many international observers were anxious about U.S. commitment to climate action. Their message was direct: the United States is not stepping away. Biniaz noted that rejoining the Paris Agreement on January 1, 2021, was not hard; it was “easy.” What matters is having leaders willing to make the call. Senator Whitehouse emphasized that the U.S. must continue raising ambition and pushing toward the 1.5°C goal. Their conversation underscored an often-overlooked reality: continuity in climate diplomacy depends on institutions, not just administrations. For early-career scientists, the takeaway is clear. While science informs the negotiations, political structures determine whether that science is acted upon. The climate fight is not only being waged in Belém, but it is also being shaped in statehouses, campuses, and voting booths at home.
Why Early-Career Scientists Matter Right Now
COP30 highlighted a growing recognition of the role of early-career researchers in climate policy. Whether we study water systems, adaptation strategies, or ecosystem resilience, our work feeds directly into global decisions. But our influence expands when we take the next step: translating scientific findings into accessible insights for the communities that need them most.
Encouraging more students to attend COP is part of that equation, but so is preparing them to engage politically and communicate strategically. Effective climate action requires more than expertise; it requires relationships, dialogue, and a willingness to step into civic spaces.
Belém’s Lesson
The Amazon offered a powerful backdrop for COP30, reminding delegates of both the fragility and resilience at the heart of global climate negotiations. But perhaps the most important lesson for early-career scientists was not about the forest; it was about power. The process is political. The influence is local. And the path to shaping climate outcomes begins long before a badge is printed. If the world is to meet its climate goals, it will require a generation of scientists who understand not only the data but the systems that determine what is done with it.
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