30 Climate Cop Later: Stories from Canadian Participants

Since their inception, the United Nations Climate Change Conferences--or Conference of the Parties (COPs)-have shaped the global response to climate change. These high-stakes gatherings bring together world leaders, scientists, activists, and policymakers to negotiate the future of our planet. Yet, despite increasing media attention, the inner workings of these forums remain complex and often misunderstood.

As COP30 takes place in 2025, 30 Climate COP Later takes a critical look at the past three decades of climate negotiations. Have these conferences driven real progress? Through the voices of key Canadian figures--diplomats, scientists, NGO leaders, journalists, and policymakers--this book offers a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective on the triumphs, setbacks, and turning points that have defined the COPs.

With firsthand accounts and candid reflections, contributors share personal experiences, pivotal moments, and insights into Canada’s evolving role in international climate diplomacy. From historic agreements to missed opportunities, their stories provide a nuanced view of the challenges and achievements of global climate negotiations.

Written for a wide audience--including students, professionals, and anyone passionate about climate action--this book sheds light on the COP process and its impact. As the climate crisis intensifies, it asks a pressing question: Can these negotiations still deliver the solutions we so urgently need?

Thomas Burelli (Editor)
Thomas Burelli is Associate Professor in the Civil Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, where he teaches international environmental law, natural resources and video game law. Thomas Burelli participated to the COP26 in person in Glasgow. He also followed COP27 and COP28. Thomas Burelli has published more than 50 scientific articles in the field of international environmental law.

Alexandre Lillo (Editor)
Alexandre Lillo is Professor at the Département des sciences juridiques, at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He teaches international environmental law and environmental law at both the undergrad and graduate level. He has been a COP observer for a Quebec-base NGO (Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement) and attended COP 26 in person. He has published numerous papers relating to international and national environmental law, including peer reviewed articles and media pieces.

Elie Klee (Editor)
Elie Klee graduated in 2020 with an LL.M. from the University of Ottawa and a Master degree from Aix-Marseille University (France), specializing in public international law. Since 2022, he has been a Ph.D. student in an international co-tutelle program.

His research focuses on the disappearance of states under international law as a result of climate change. His work analyzes the way in which international law can apprehend the disappearance of a State as a result of rising sea levels and temperatures, and the evolutions of the legal framework surrounding this phenomenon. He is interested in the consequences that the loss by a state of its constituent elements entails, both in terms of the status of the state that has disappeared, or is doomed to disappear, and for the rights of its population and the sovereign prerogatives of the state.