Will’s Word: Is the annual climate conference COP just one big waste of time?

I'm really struggling to care about the Conference of the Parties (COP) anymore. Every year it rolls around, world leaders fly in, there's the same talk about ambition and action on urgent climate change matters, and then nothing.

Absolutely nothing. I think of it now as this kind of annual ritual of pure and utter disappointment. Everyone gets up on stage, airs their grievances about the climate crisis, and then goes home to do basically the opposite of what they just promised.

Yeah, I know it sounds a little bit cynical, but come on. Every time this conference rolls around does anything meaningful even come of it? The planet's still heating up, emissions are still rising, and the biggest polluting countries are still polluting.

If anything they're writing the rules. And you could argue if COP was actually working, we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are right now. I look at New Zealand, our presence at COP, boy do we love to pat ourselves on the back and call ourselves clean and green, don't we?

We're 100 per cent pure, figures the ad campaigns. But if you look closely, that image is cracking. Take for example the decisions made by this Coalition government recently. Opening up gas and oil exploration, shifting the goalpost on some climate policies.

Honestly, it feels as though we're going backwards. So, we'll be at COP this week, sitting in the same rooms, nodding along to the same speeches we hear year after year, pretending that we're all still in this together.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

But really, New Zealand is just joining the chorus of countries saying one thing and doing another. And honestly, it's pretty blimmin' exhausting. In fact, it's infuriating. As a now 25 year old I look towards my own future: what will this world look like in another 25 years time or be it 50 years time?

Because of poor decision-making, a lack of action at conferences like this. COP should be where action happens, instead it's become a stage, a place for officials to yap, talk big, do small, a talk fest, if you will. Where arguably, accountability goes to die.

So while we continue to talk and try to reach a consensus, the planet's still burning, Pacific Island nations are literally drowning, crops are failing, and people are already living with the impacts we're still debating about.

I am tired of the speeches, these photo ops and hearing we're committed when the evidence says otherwise.

That's Will's Word.