It is a real honour to welcome you all to the 'Good COP Bad COP 4' conference in association with Engage with China. You will find all the latest information about the conference here.
Following on from the huge success of previous conferences, the next event is shaping up to be even bigger with students from a wide range of international schools expressing their interest already.
The COP29 climate change summit will take place from November 11th to 22nd, 2024 and is hosted by Azerbaijan. Our conference will be in response to the issues that will be discussed here and in previous COP summits.
If you wish to take part or if you have any questions about the event or the planned resolutions, then please contact the organisation team through the Contact Us information on this page and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Good COP Bad COP4 is hosted by.... The King’s School, Macclesfield in association with
This is the fourth international climate-based conference we have held and we are really looking forward to growing on our experience from previous years. We are always thrilled to see so much interest from both domestic and international schools and we are confident that this year's event will attract schools from an even wider demographic. Students at The King’s School Macclesfield have traditionally always held an interest in Model United Nations debating and many have attended and taken part in prestigious conferences. We feel it is only right to offer the same opportunities to other schools and through our partnership with Engage with China and by using online conference technology this is now possible.
We hope, with the help of all delegates that our next conference will be as much of a success as in previous years – not just stimulating discussion on climate change and environmental issues but also working together to bolster relations and to encourage cooperation and friendship between delegates of different nations.
My name is Toby Hall, and I am grateful to have the honour of welcoming you all to Good COP Bad COP 4. I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am to be the head of our conference; where I am certain a great deal of quality debate will unfold. I am hopeful that with global cooperation and discussion, we can protect our home and keep our planet healthy for future generations to come. For that reason, I am especially interested in this conference. Outside of MUN, I have a passion for playing rugby and boxing and I have also competed in competitive debate. I look forward to coming together with you all on February 28th.
Vice President – River Smith
It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the Good COP Bad COP conference of 2024. I am elated to be the vice president of this conference, and am thoroughly looking forward to all of the thought provoking debates that will undoubtedly take place. I was particularly interested for this role as climate change and geoengineering strategies to mitigate it have always been an interest of mine along with a background in debating such as WSC (World Scholar’s Cup), MUN and ESU. Outside of these interests, I am an avid reader of Russian philosophy and enjoyer of yoga and music- particularly the piano.
Conference Director – Richard Higgins
My name is Mr Richard Higgins and offer a warm welcome to you on behalf of all students and staff from The King’s School Macclesfield. We are delighted to be hosting the fourth international student conference alongside Engage with China. I am Head of Computing at The King’s School Macclesfield and have lost count of the number of MUN conferences I have taken students to over the last 15 years. However, it is an enormous privilege to host a conference for other schools. I also coach basketball, volleyball and school debating teams. Outside of the classroom I enjoy photography and playing backgammon.
The King’s School Macclesfield strongly support environmental conservation and believe that we can all, as individuals and countries, do much more to protect our world. COP is the perfect chance to demonstrate this. We think that we need to, even if it is just in theory, try and find a way to combat these issues that affect us all.
For our resolutions we will discuss and think about a wide range of practical solutions to these environmental issues. Last year we focused on and discussed carbon tax and incentives against the use of coal and other fossil fuels. Our aim is to come to some form of agreement on what is the best ways of reducing the threat of climate change during this conference and we are keen to hear what the delegates propose.
Cosmo is a founding member of the United Nations Association Climate and Oceans Youth Council, an international group dedicated to giving young people a voice in the fight against our climate crisis. Over the last four years, the Youth Council has put on global events, contributed to COPs, and raised vital funds for climate projects. Alongside this, Cosmo works in the international development space, helping to raise awareness and funds for people impacted by conflict, disaster and the climate crisis.
You can also watch the short documentary on solutions to our climate crisis created by Cosmo, alongside other members of the Youth Council Click here.
CAROLINE WILSON DCMG
Caroline Wilson DCMG took up the role of British Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China in October 2020.
Caroline started her diplomatic career at the British Embassy Beijing (1996 to 2000) and served as British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao from 2012 to 2016. She has worked extensively on the EU and Europe. Caroline was Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Europe Director (2016 to 2019), was seconded to the Cabinet Office European Secretariat (2006 to 2008), and worked in Brussels at the UK’s Representation to the European Union (2000 to 2004). Her diplomatic roles have included Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (2004 to 2006) and Minister Counsellor in the British Embassy Moscow from 2008 to 2012.
Caroline has a LLM (Cantab) law degree from the University of Cambridge and a Masters in European Law from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). She is a qualified Barrister at Law, and a Bencher of the Middle Temple. She was elected Honorary Fellow of Downing College Cambridge in 2018.
In addition to fluent Mandarin, and some Cantonese, Caroline speaks Russian, French and German. Her Chinese name is 吴若兰.
Caroline was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to British foreign policy.
The Ambassador represents His Majesty The King and the UK government in the country to which they are appointed. They are responsible for the direction and work of the embassy and its consulates, including political work, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.
SIR JIM SKEA
Professor Sir Jim Skea was elected IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Chair for the Seventh Assessment cycle in July 2023.
He was Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III for the 6th Assessment Cycle.
From 2009 to 2023, Jim Skea was Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London. His research interests are in energy, climate change and technological innovation.
He was Research Director of the UK Energy Research Centre 2004-12 and Director of the Policy Studies Institute 1998-2004. He has operated at the interface between research, policy-making and business throughout his career.
He was a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change from its inception in 2008 until 2018, and was the Chair of Scotland’s Just Transition Commission from 2018 to 2023.
From 2015-17, he was President of the UK Energy Institute.
He was awarded a CBE for services to sustainable energy in 2013 and an OBE for services to sustainable transport in 2004.
In 2024, Jim Skea was awarded a knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours list for services to global leadership in climate science.
We're proud to be working in collaboration with 'Engage with China' to bring you this conference.
Resolutions
There will be six resolutions debated during the course of the conference this year. Each will be based on the outcomes of COP29, recently hosted by Azerbaijan in November 2024.
Resolution 1 - Carbon mitigation: Reduce use of coal by 75% by 2035 and phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
Resolution 2 - Financing of Adaptation: Developed countries to help finance adaptation for less wealthy countries – be it protection from the worst effects
of climate change or financial help with the transition to low carbon energy supply.
Resolution 2 Carbon Tax Resolution 3 - Compensation for Loss and Damage due to Climate Change: Developed nations to compensate countries who have contributed very little to the effects of worsening global warming by paying for the loss and damage caused by climate change.
Resolution 4 – Plastic Waste: To phase out single use plastics by 2030 and reduce the use of all plastics by 75% by 2035 so that any remaining plastics are 100 %recyclable.
R4 Briefing Paper Resolution 4 Eliminating Plastic Pollution Resolution 5 – Food Waste: All developed countries reduce their current food waste by 50% by 2030 and support less developed countries to cut global food waste by 50% by 2035.
R5 Briefing Paper Resolution 5 Food Waste Resolution 6 - Promoting Sustainability in Fashion Design & Production: Incentivise the adoption of eco-friendly materials and reduce waste in fashion production processes and promote ethical labour practices across the supply chain.
