Good Mock COP, Bad Mock COP

On Tuesday 2 November 2021, while global delegates were gathering in Glasgow for the COP26 conference, schools across the Highlands and Moray were abuzz with excitement. Pupils were assembling virtually as delegate nations to take decisive action on climate resolutions.

The Mock COP26 negotiations, run by Gemma Burnside, Partnerships Officer, at The Open University in Scotland brought four schools together via Google Meet to learn about the COP26 conference and give pupils a taste of real negotiations. The participating schools had all previously taken part in the OU in Scotland’s Young Applicants in Schools Scheme (YASS) which offers senior phase pupils at Scottish schools the chance to study first-year university level modules while still at school.

Reporter Becca Cooper gets the inside scoop from the Brazilian and Swedish delegations at Culloden Academy.

Six delegate nations were assembled – Culloden Academy representing The Federative Republic of Brazil and the Kingdom of Sweden; Millburn Academy representing The People’s Republic of China and The United States of America; Speyside High School representing The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and Dingwall Academy representing the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

All delegations had been sent a top-secret letter from their head of state prior to the event outlining their nation’s stance on critical climate targets. Each team, aided by an OU facilitator assigned to them for the day, used this to determine their negotiating stance and key topics of discussion.

Pupils were thrilled to hear from Dr Leslie Mabon, Lecturer in Environmental Systems at the Open University, live from the real COP26 negotiations.

With the stage set, teams then set out their positions in opening statements to the conference. Teams took part in three rounds of negotiations, these getting more heated as the day progressed. Heading into the first round of negotiations, pupils were unsure of what to expect, but tactics soon came into play as teams began to understand the complexity and scope of the task. They exploited their strengths at the negotiating table, with each delegate taking a role in the talks. The delegates were excited and engaged for the whole day, with Eva Baijal, Culloden Academy, noting:

It was a really helpful and insightful experience, developing negotiation skills, confidence to speak in front of groups and awareness of what is happening right now in our world. I learned a lot about what COP actually is and actions I could actually take to help in the movement against climate change.
Eva Baijal, Culloden Academy

Reporters at Culloden and Millburn Academies oversaw negotiations, interrupting the event with two news bulletins disclosing information that had been discussed behind closed doors in negotiations.

A final chaotic round of negotiations saw all teams discuss resolutions via the chat function in just 10 minutes. With teams now locked into their stances on resolutions, the final votes were tallied and the results were revealed. Delegations now discovered which nations had hoodwinked them, who had stayed true to the resolutions they had negotiated, and who had overstated interests in certain resolutions to sway delegations to vote with them on issues of greatest concern to their nation.

 I feel it helped me improve both my negotiation and communication skills. I also feel I have a better grasp of the complexities of the challenges world leaders face in tackling the climate crisis.
Lachlan Jack, Culloden Academy

Enviable negotiation skills were on show throughout the day, with nuanced and considered arguments put forward by each team. The future looks bright with a wealth of positive voices and talented negotiators ready to take charge and lead the climate revolution.

We need to push forwards in securing our future for not just us, but for future generations.
Millie Simpson, Dingwall Academy

The event has inspired a number of pupils to focus on climate change in their future studies and pathways and opened up meaningful discussions with their peers. The buzz of excitement didn’t end with the event – it has continued on in the days since and grown to include the wider school community.

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