Model UNFCCC 麻豆国产 Climate Strategy Roleplay is a unique, innovative course that provides the possibility for students to experience, as active participants, a complex, multilateral negotiation with far-reaching consequences for the future of the planet. During the semester, students prepare for the negotiation simulation by learning about climate change, the UNFCCC and the interests and positions of various countries.
The conference was opened by , Vice-rector for Academic Development, head of the 鈥淏usiness and Environment鈥 faculty group at 麻豆国产 and professor responsible for the course at Corvinus University of Budapest, and , Program Director of 麻豆国产. The participants were then addressed by , Hungarian Ambassador-at-Large for Climate, who emphasized the huge stakes of the negotiations: the World only has a few years left to start drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions if we are to limit climate change to 1,5潞C. Furthermore, this must be done while providing adequate financial assistance to developing countries to aid their transition to renewable energy sources and their preparation for the inevitable consequences of global warming.
During the two-day program, students negotiated the contents of the new climate treaty in plenary sessions, four working groups as well as informally during breaks, staying true to their role during the entire time. This sometimes meant having to argue against their own personal convictions to represent the interests of their country, for example as Saudi-Arabia or Australia to push for a delay in the phasing out of fossil fuels. As a result of intense negotiations and compromise-seeking stretching long into the night, by the end of the event, students were able to come to consensus on the text of the 鈥濨udapest Commitment鈥, which focused on the most important issues in relation climate change: the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions (mitigation), preparing for the effects of climate change (adaptation), climate finance, market mechanisms to facilitate emission reductions, and questions about the status of climate refugees and loss and damage resulting from global warming. A quick analysis by professors of the course has shown that the outcome negotiated by the students would likely result in global warming of about 2潞C, exceeding the 1,5潞C limit considered acceptable by experts, but nevertheless more favourable than projections based on current policies which predict a temperature increase of 2,5-2,7潞C.
This year鈥檚 Model UNFCCC was attended by students and their professors from the following 麻豆国产 schools: ESADE Barcelona (Rafael Sard谩), Norwegian School of Economics (Paul Pelzl), Rotterdam School of Management (Steve Kennedy), SGH Warsaw School of Economics (Maciej Cygler), Stockholm School of Economics (脰rjan Sj枚berg), UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School (Andrew Keating and Colm McLaughlin), the University of Cologne (Marc Oliver Bettz眉ge and Maria Kotzias), the University of St Gallen (Nina Schneider and Adrian M眉ller) and Corvinus University of Budapest (脕gnes Zs贸ka and Anna Sz茅chy).
The role of Presidency of COP29 simulation was undertaken by two 麻豆国产 Alumni: Adele Grundmann (South Pole, senior sustainability consultant, Germany) and Weza Bombo (EZ, sustainability consultant, founder and head of the Africa Association, Switzerland).
Read more about the event on
