CEMS Climate Conference at Corvinus University

CEMS students from the Norwegian School of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, ESADE Barcelona, Corvinus University of Budapest, University of St. Gallen, University of Cologne, Rotterdam School of Management and University College Dublin will participate. The event will be opened by Dr. Barbara Botos, Hungary’s Ambassador-at-large for Climate.  

Students will take on the role of the representatives of different countries and nonprofit organisations to work towards a consensus on ambitious strategies to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects. The discussion will focus on issues such as reducing emissions, adapting to global warming by using appropriate resources, and other important measures related to international climate change regulation. 

We interviewed Anna Széchy, one of the professors teaching the Model UNFCCC – CEMS Strategy role-play course and the main organiser of this year’s conference. 

Anna explained that the Model UNFCCC – CEMS Strategy role-play, an elective course for masters students, concludes with a three-day conference simulation at the end of the semester. The course prepares students for this event by discussing the causes and impacts of climate change, technological solutions, policy instruments and business responses, and by understanding the UNFCCC process and current issues.  

At the beginning of the semester, students will gain a general understanding of the above issues, then continue the preparation by getting to know the situation and position of the country they are assigned to represent at the conference. When allocating countries, it is important that no one represents their own country. In the negotiations, there are many conflicting points of view, and students need to learn to represent their interests effectively and to make compromises, as decisions at the conference – as in real life climate talks – can only be made by consensus. 

Students on the course are assessed on a number of criteria. Their grade is based on their work during the semester, their active participation in the simulation and their reflection report at the end of the course. 

In Anna’s experience, students generally perform exceptionally well at the conferences, despite the complexity of the subject matter, their initial perplexity and the time pressure. By the end of the event, positions converge and a highly realistic climate treaty is adopted. 

This course is useful not only for students in international studies but for all Corvinus students, as environmental awareness and social responsibility play an important role in both the public and business spheres, and as economists we cannot afford to ignore these. In addition, this course offers a unique opportunity to gain international experience and networking opportunities, not to mention life-long experiences.