Between hope and exhaustion: the emotional impacts of COP participation on young climate delegates

Given the increasing recognition of the vitality of youth inclusion to keep international climate negotiations progressive and accountable, there has been much recent attention focused on improving formal access for young people in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, what should be considered as meaningful inclusion must extend beyond physical presence to encompass the conditions under which individuals are able to engage, contribute, and feel heard. Very little has been published on the actual experiences of youth delegates to the UNFCCC – an experience that is often exhausting and can be highly demoralising. Thus this paper seeks to explore the emotional experience of attending a UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP). We document the multifaceted, intersectional, and long term forms of emotional labour young people, like ourselves, do to participate in COP and posit ways to promote sustainable communities of young delegates.