Welcome to COP27. Thank You for Not Protesting

Nov 16, 2022 7:00 AMAt this year’s UN climate conference in Egypt, activists are unable to demonstrate without permission, limiting their ability to voice criticism of the COP.

Photograph: Mark Kerrison/Getty Images

Inés Ybar was unsure if she wanted to attend the conference. She was excited for the UN climate meeting to discuss the health of the planet with the most powerful people in the world. She first attended the conference three years ago as a youth negotiator, sitting in closed-door meetings where she was the only person under 30. She gave delegates personalized letters from people who couldn't attend because they couldn't afford it. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in a weekend of protests outside the conference venue in Glasgow. Activists from within the conference with instigators on the outside hope to grab the attention of the cameras and the negotiators. She says that it reminded everyone on the inside that they had to do more.

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