Students from the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies (PoLIS), Nadine Guerfi (BSc (Hons) Politics with Economics) and Angelica Reyes (BSc (Hons) Politics and International Relations) won the ‘Outstanding Delegation Award’ at the 2024 COP (Conference of the Parties) simulation, organised by the British International Studies Association (BISA).

The COP simulation replicates the United Nations (UN) COP meetings, allowing students the opportunity to represent the parties that are part of current climate change agreements, such as the 2015 Paris Agreement.

In this simulation, Nadine and Angelica were tasked with representing Mexico. In order to do this, they studied the country’s previous policies and current political landscape, envisaging future alliances and potential challenges during the debate. As a result, they successfully proposed policies and interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the increment of climate transition finance.

Award-winning contribution

The Bath pair were awarded the ‘Outstanding Delegation Award’ for demonstrating excellent public speaking and bargaining skills, alongside quick-thinking and in-depth knowledge on the topic.

Speaking about the event, Angelica said:

The climate negotiation simulation at Chatham House was an eye-opening experience. It made me realise the difficulty that countries face in balancing domestic priorities with international pressures.

Even though I had no experience in something like this before, I quickly was able to embody the role during the negotiations, and it was very exciting! I enjoyed every minute of it, and I hope other students will also have this opportunity in the future. Thank you to Sophia Hatzisavvidou and the PoLIS Department for making this opportunity possible.

Speaking about the experience, Nadine said:

I am grateful to the PoLIS Department for this opportunity. The experience showed me the challenges of climate diplomacy, where national interests often take priority over bold climate action. These decisions, taken in one room, then affect millions of lives and the future of our planet.

The event was sponsored and hosted by Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs, an independent policy institute, in London.

These simulations are a great opportunity to raise awareness on climate and environmental politics and also allow students to experience major debates in global politics first hand.

This year’s simulation has been the largest BISA COP simulation so far, with 29 universities from all over the UK taking part.