The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (aka COP28) will take place from November 30th to December 12th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
What is COP28?
The climate Conference of Parties, or COP, is an annual meeting of delegates from nearly every country on Earth to negotiate global goals for tackling climate change, report on progress, and present their individual countries’ plans for contributing to those goals. This year’s meeting is the 28th meeting, hence COP28.
What a year of climate change it’s been! Scientists say 2023 will be the hottest year on record. It has certainly been a year of devastating extreme weather, from record wildfires in Greece, Hawaii, Canada and many other places, to African floods made worse by global warming. Meanwhile, time is running out to keep global warming below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, per the Paris Agreement decided at COP21 in 2015. Delegates at this year’s conference will have a lot to talk about, that’s for sure.
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Why is Dubai a Controversial City for COP28?
The UAE is one of the world's top 10 oil-producing nations. Oil is a fossil fuel and a major contributor climate change because, like gas and coal, oil releases planet-warming greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide when burned for energy.
To make matters worse, the UAE appointed the chief executive of its state-owned oil company as president of COP28. That oil company pumped 2.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2021, according to the OPEC. That’s a lot of oil, equivalent to the oil demand of all the cars in China. “It is the equivalent of appointing the CEO of a cigarette company to oversee a conference on cancer cures,” campaign group 350.org said.
Who is Going?As usual, this COP meeting will bring together tens of thousands of attendees, including heads of state, delegates from environmental NGOs, think tanks, faith groups, private sector representatives and other organisations. UK Prime Minister Sunak will attend. US President Joe Biden has attended both of the COP summits since his 2021 inauguration, but has not announced whether he’ll be attending.
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What is on the Agenda?
The COP28 delegates and attendees will discuss a range of plans and goals, including:
• A target for limiting global warming
• Goals for protecting and restoring nature
• Budgets for funding nature-based climate initiatives
• How to increase global co-operation to fight climate change
• A target for limiting global warming
• Goals for protecting and restoring nature
• Budgets for funding nature-based climate initiatives
• How to increase global co-operation to fight climate change
Ways to Achieve COP Goals
This year’s meeting in UAE will continue to plan how we achieve the goals set at the 2015 Paris summit and other COP meetings:
• Fast-tracking the global transition to clean energy and decarbonising the energy industry
• Limiting global warming to 1.5° C (2.7° F) above pre-industrial levels.
• Helping the most vulnerable communities recover from and adapt to the effects of climate change.
• Creating a "comprehensive transformation" of climate finance that builds on the progress made so far and helps communities rebuild after climate-related disasters.
• Ensuring that these conversations, goals and proposed solutions are truly inclusive, highlighting youth and indigenous voices.
• Fast-tracking the global transition to clean energy and decarbonising the energy industry
• Limiting global warming to 1.5° C (2.7° F) above pre-industrial levels.
• Helping the most vulnerable communities recover from and adapt to the effects of climate change.
• Creating a "comprehensive transformation" of climate finance that builds on the progress made so far and helps communities rebuild after climate-related disasters.
• Ensuring that these conversations, goals and proposed solutions are truly inclusive, highlighting youth and indigenous voices.
COPs Nature-Based Goals
COP aims to push clean energy and nature-based solutions, as countries update their climate plans. At the current time, nature-based solutions receive less than 10% percent of all climate funding. At JUST ONE Tree, we believe that number should be much higher.
Forests, trees, coral reefs, mangroves and wetlands work to combat climate change, reduce the force of storms, floods and erosion, and help to protect coastal communities. These nature-based solutions restore biodiversity, protect plants, support indigenous communities and protect endangered species and wildlife. Investing in nature leads to cleaner air and water, healthier farms and forests, and many other benefits for people and wildlife. |
Thanks to the mixed outcomes of the last COPs and because of the controversy swirling around this one, we’ll be holding our breaths with a little more trepidation this time. And, as always, we’ll continue to do what we do best — combating climate change and reversing biodiversity loss through real tangible action that gets results. Hopefully, COP delegates and representatives will join us in taking bold action soon too.