It's a chilly afternoon here in New England. We've finally stashed the outdoor furniture in the garage, are digging through boxes of Christmas decorations, and are crossing our fingers for snow. Elsewhere, tens of thousands of global activists, diplomats, and heads of state will soon be getting on planes and heading to Dubai for COP28.
Remind me what COP28 is: COP28 is a part of world efforts to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis.
Every year since 1995, world leaders have gathered for the United Nations Climate Conference. COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and as this is the 28th meeting of the parties (the nations that agreed to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), the number 28 gets added to the end of COP.
Each year, a different country hosts the meeting. COP1 took place in Berlin, Germany, in 1995. Last year, COP27 took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. This year, COP28 takes place from November 30 to December 12. It's being hosted in Dubai and led by oil tycoon Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. He's also the founder of a renewable energy company, yet as the planet grows ever hotter and as fossil fuel companies continue to roll back their climate pledges and lobby against climate regulations, it’s a disappointing choice to host a conference that is supposed to mitigate global warming.
What happened at COP27: COP27 was supposed to shift the focus of the climate conferences to implementation. The big news from the 2022 conference was an agreement to establish a loss and damage fund to help vulnerable low-income countries cope with the impacts of climate disasters made worse by the greenhouse gas emissions of wealthy, industrialized nations. While the agreement was historic, many of the details, including who should pay into the fund, where the money will come from, and which countries will benefit, were not finalized.
What to expect at COP28: It's expected many of the details around the loss and damage fund will be worked out at COP28. This year, the conference is particularly significant for the milestone it marks. We've reached the halfway point in the deadline of the Global Goals, and we'll see the first assessment of how countries are implementing the emissions-cutting commitments made at the 2015 Paris Agreement. You'll hear people refer to this as the global stocktake. While it shouldn't come as a surprise that the world is not on track to make the emissions cuts needed to meet the Paris goals and keep global warming below 1.5C pre-industrial levels, the question is if our current failure can spur more aggressive action. And if countries will finally agree to phase out fossil fuels.
What can I do?
Follow what happens at COP28 and discuss it with your family and friends.
Contact your elected officials and ask them to oppose fossil fuel subsidies and work towards a transition to renewable energy.
Support an environmental group to work on your behalf.
Pick one change you can make.
Finally, COP28 and the headlines that come out of it can be a lot. Make a plan for how much media you will consume, where you'll get your information, and how you'll evaluate it.
~ Bridget