After the dust settled yesterday with a mandatory day of rest, negotiations picked up again today, as youth, children, education, and skills came into the spotlight.
Comprising 1.8 billion of the population – the largest youth generation ever – young people are set to face the brunt of climate change, and their voices are crucial in climate talks.
Indeed, harrowing statistics from the UN found 43.1 million children were internally displaced in 44 countries over a six-year period as a result of climate change, and things are only worsening.
Day nine, for the first time, dedicated a day to incorporating their voices – to a degree.
Indeed, the RewirEd Summit held today, was the first ever global summit to be held on education and climate, and brought together more than 1,000 participants, including two heads of state, 22 ministers, 28 CEOs, and 260 speakers, representing 209 entities from 76 countries.
The second youth-led climate forum at COP, the Dubai Youth Climate Dialogue, was also held.
Location, location, location
While the next few days will be crucial to keep 1.5 degrees in reach (although the science indicates we’re way off track), eyes are already fixed on next year’s summit.
Yesterday was abuzz with musings on whether COP would be held in Dubai again next year – however, today, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, issued a joint statement outlining intention to “normalise” their relationship. Further, Russia said it would veto any EU country, so Azerbaijan could be the location of the next climate summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presence has not been far from negotiations, either. While not attending the Dubai summit, Putin has been some 100 km away, in Abu Dhabi, discussing oil and war.
COP28 “already made history”
Speaking today on the developments at COP so far, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 Presidency, said that COP28 has “already made history.” And indeed, aside from witnessing the largest COP congregation ever, and launching the’ loss and damage’ fund deal on the first day (although contributing less than 0.2% of the funding needed), there are a number of highlights and revelations that have been far less welcome.
As highlighted by ESG Mena earlier this week, this COP has seen a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists and at least 475 carbon capture lobbyists.
Today, following a week of controversy around the fossil fuel phase-out, the COP28 Presidency also said: “One thing I repeatedly say is that… the decline of fossil fuels is going to happen.”
Although, it’s worth noting that governments are not yet unified on this – far from it. China, India, and Saudi Arabia, among others, have expressed opposition to the phase out.
In other news, today, Dubai’s media office shared its plan to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
There has also been a call launched for businesses, financial institutions and other actors to pledge transparency and ambition at COP29.
The document notes that COP28 has witnessed an “unprecedented surge” in non-state actor presence, particularly private sector executives, and that while it is a “major stride in integrating the private sector into the global climate action agenda,” it also raises questions about their role in COP.
The document requests that all businesses, financial institutions, and other non-state actors that attend COP29 to:
- Measure Emissions: Measure direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3, in accordance with recognised international standards.
- Disclose Emissions Publicly: Publicly disclose our Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions and update the Global Climate Action Portal of the UNFCCC to enhance transparency and foster accountability.
- Commit to Science-Based Targets: Commit to setting 1.5°C-aligned science-based targets within one year, by COP30.
Indeed, this year, all but one of the COP sponsors failed to sign up to UN-backed net zero science-based targets (SBTi).
Taking meat and dairy off the menu to save the planet
With all eyes on fossil fuels, food and agriculture have not received nearly enough attention at this year’s COP.
Although there is a dedicated food day for the first time, considering the enormous contribution food makes to global warming and environmental degradation, it is nowhere to be seen in the global stocktake. This is truly shocking, and pushes the 1.5-degree target into even further jeopardy.
Contributing to one-third of emissions, our fragile food system is unsustainable, inequitable, and harmful to humans, animals and the planet.
Indeed, demonstrating the impact of meat and dairy consumption, a study recently published in Nature Communications found that if we replaced half of our meat and dairy consumption with plant-based alternatives by 2050, food-related emissions could be cut by nearly a third, and the net reduction of forest and natural land would be “almost fully” halted.
That being said, while not at the scale that many were hoping for, some movement has been made on the food side of things. Last week, one hundred and thirty-four leaders endorsed the UAE declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action.
Further, today, it was announced that the US and UAE have raised a fund for climate-friendly innovation in agriculture and the food sector to $17 billion.
Food waste, a significant issue in the region, also came into view today, with HE Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, outlining that “there are a lot of things we have to change with behaviour and habits” around food.
“We’re throwing too much food into the bin,” she said. Adding: “It’s really important every bit of edible food does not end up in landfill.”
As the climate summit enters crunch time, stay tuned for more interviews, analysis, features & insights from on the ground at COP28.
