Small Island Developing States
In 2021, we worked on two immersive metaverse projects for DLA Piper and Gleeds, respectively delivered with Enter Agora at COP26 in Glasgow. This time around, we were tasked to solve old challenges with new web3 technologies, however that was not our first foray into the ‘COP’ format. Our first project was in 2009, a lifetime ago in terms of our perception of the climate crisis, when we were commissioned by the United Nations to deliver the conference opening film.
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP15, took place in Copenhagen. During nine days, world leaders, diplomats, negotiators, and representatives from various countries addressed the pressing issue of climate change with one main objective in mind: to create a new international climate agreement that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol which set to expire in 2012.
The conference centred around equipping nations with the necessary tools and resources to minimise vulnerabilities and build resilience. Key goals of COP15 included:
Mitigation: Negotiating targets and commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and mitigate its adverse effects.
Adaptation: Developing strategies to help vulnerable countries adapt to the existing impacts of climate change.
Finance: Allocating funds to support developing countries in both mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Technology: Facilitating the transfer of clean and sustainable technologies to developing nations and enable them to transition towards low-carbon and climate-resilient pathways.
However, COP15 (as ever) faced significant controversies, which influenced its outcomes. Our -challenging- brief was to produce an opening film to rally the audience around a common purpose while addressing some of the prevalent issues tackled by the UN – issues that, to some extent, persist to this day:
Consensus: Striving for consensus among countries regarding emission reduction targets, financial commitments, and the fair allocation of responsibilities and funding.
Responsibility: Developing nations argued that developed nations were historically responsible for much of the emissions.
Leaks: Suggesting some developed countries were seeking to undermine the negotiation process.
Protest: Activists, environmental organizations, and civil society groups, demanding more ambitious climate action from world leaders.
The stepping stone for our film was to move attention away from the infighting and focus on the global challenges ahead. To craft our narrative, we used the psychology concept of cognitive dissonance – the process of holding two opposing ideas in your mind at the same time. In our film, the dissonance was created by visuals taken by local communities on the ground in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) over three geographical regions in the Caribbean; the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS). These states are home to 65 million people, representing less than 1% of the global population, yet they face disproportionately higher risks from sea level change.
We combined this photography with bespoke three-dimensional graphics and wrote a script that tells the story of what would happen to a small child when their own temperature rises by 1.5 degrees – the UN’s own metric for the point at which the climate crisis becomes irreversible. Ironically, it would not be until the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 that this target is ratified and translated into legislation. To ensure authenticity and create a deeper connection with the audience, the script was delivered by a medical professional based in Samoa. As research showed that individuals are more likely to respond positively to a female voice, we intentionally chose a woman to lend an added layer of influence and connection to the narrative.
We combined this photography with bespoke three-dimensional graphics and wrote a script that tells the story of what would happen to a small child when their own temperature rises by 1.5 degrees – the UN’s own metric for the point at which the climate crisis becomes irreversible. Ironically, it would not be until the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 that this target is ratified and translated into legislation. To ensure authenticity and create a deeper connection with the audience, the script was delivered by a medical professional based in Samoa. As research showed that individuals are more likely to respond positively to a female voice, we intentionally chose a woman to lend an added layer of influence and connection to the narrative.
The Copenhagen Accord emerged as a pivotal outcome of COP15. This non-binding agreement recognised the imperative to limit global temperature rise to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Yet, amidst its recognition, the accord was criticised for lacking legally binding commitments as well as detailed provisions (or mechanisms) on financing and emissions reductions.
While the Copenhagen Accord did not fulfil all the expectations of COP15, it marked an important step in the international climate negotiation process. Subsequent conferences, such as COP16 in Cancun and COP21 in Paris, aimed to build on the progress made in Copenhagen and eventually led to the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, which has become one of the most significant international agreements aimed at addressing climate change.
Fast forward thirteen years, and we are at COP26 in Glasgow, presenting the same urgent case.
