Susan Samuel

Job title:

PhD researcher

Area of work:

My thesis revolves around how climate movements influence international climate negotiations like COP28, and thus shape climate politics. I am particularly looking into COP24 and COP28.

What will you be doing at COP28?

My participation in COP28 will help me to understand the practicalities of what I aim to learn and observe theoretically as well as empirically for my PhD research. This is my first time attending a COP, and it will give me a taste of what goes beyond research.

What are the big issues that COP28 needs to address? What are your hopes for the negotiations?

I believe the COPs need to go beyond the binary of ‘big’ and ‘small’ issues, because when climate change is real and becomes an ever increasing existential threat, what remains important is the efficiency of negotiations to address whatever that is being tabled inclusively, radically and rapidly.

For COP28, the Global Stocktake remains the central focus. What it will reveal in essence – the need for a systemic transformation – will be unsurprising, but it will give trajectories for political action among States and have huge potential in shaping national and international governance frameworks.

What’s your message to world leaders at COP28?

Every moment counts. With each second, we and our planet lose something irreplaceable. Your action is needed – immediately!