With the climate crisis worsening by the day, COP28 could not have come sooner. Shadowed by controversy and investigations in the run-up, COP looked like it might be a flop. But after the first 2 days of the summit, it seems this early assumption may have been wrong.

What is COP28?

The 28th “Conference of the Parties” is being held in the UAE. It is an international climate summit which brings all nations together to discuss the pressing issue and danger that Climate Change poses. 

The first COP summit was held in Berlin, 1995. Every year since, there has been an annual COP conference to discuss the ever-worsening climate. Every year different countries host the summit, with the UK hosting COP26 in 2021.

This year 167 world leaders and more than 70,000 delegates are expected to come. These include King Charles II and the Pope. 

Oil deal scandal

On Monday, just 3 days before COP28 was supposed to start, the BBC released an article alleging the UAE planned to use their power at the summit to make oil deals. The BBC uncovered evidence suggesting that they planned to speak with 15 different nations about furthering their oil deals with some countries and opening up new routes for others. The oil and gas proposed in the uncovered plans include some from the UAE state oil company, a company with a sketchy history when it comes to their climate policies. 

The allegations were not denied by the UAE government or delegates but replied with the comment, “private meetings are private”.

COP 28 so far

At the time of writing, (1 December), there have been 3 full days of the summit. There have been lots of interesting moments, statements and speeches. But one stands out from all of them- the agreement of the loss and damage fund.

For years, the countries most affected by climate change, (primarily countries in Africa and South-east Asia), have been asking for reparations for the damage we, the western world have caused over the last century. Western countries have repeatedly denied any financial reparations that could help these, often low income developing countries, to protect themselves against further damage. 

However, a turning point was reached on the 30th November 2023. With the USA finally backing down and accepting reparations, it has been approved by the UN. There will finally be a $420B UN fund for countries hit worst by the effects of climate change. Another key moment was when the UN finally recognised the fact that the food we eat directly contributes to greenhouse emissions. With the recognition came a new plan to make the international farming industry a cleaner and more sustainable project. While the plan hasn’t been released at the time of writing, it is expected to include topics such as: 

• deforestation of rainforests

• livestock production

• more sustainable methods of farming.

There have also been powerful speeches from world leaders and prominent figures on the topic of climate change. King Charles appeared on the 1 December to warn the summit that climate change was not a “distant risk” but a pressing issue that we need to resolve. The Somalian president spoke later describing how climate change has killed 120 people in his country and displaced thousands. He also pointed out the “linkage between climate change, peace and security” that is affecting his country.

Elsewhere, outside the summit, prominent climate activist, Greta Thunberg has called the summit “bla bla bla” continuing her stance that leaders of our nations are not taking enough action to address climate change. She also blamed world leaders for talking too much but never doing anything.

Commentary

As the COP28 summit folds out before our eyes, one thing that has stood out to me, is the climate effects of the summit itself. 

With hundreds of planes flying leaders in, the carbon output will be massive. Of course leaders are coming from across the globe and therefore lots must travel by plane. However, there are definitely more efficient ways of travel.

For example, the French and German delegation could travel on one plane. With Berlin and Paris just a few hundred miles apart, it would take a small number of hours for one delegation, but would make the climate impact much less severe.

Additionally, the Qatari delegation could have taken a 2 hour boat journey or similar time train journey but instead opted for the massive carbon output option.

I am sure many of us will remember the time Greta Thunberg sailed from Plymouth to New York for a climate conference. Even though it took longer, she knew she had not damaged the planet.

And lastly, the final thing about the summit so far, is Rishi Sunak’s 11 hour stop for the COP 28. He arrived on Friday the 1 December in the morning and left in the evening. This lack of care clearly shows that he has no regard for the climate, does not intend on fixing it, and does not want to preserve the life of future generations. But that is for another article…

Climate summits like these are important. They help bring countries together to try and fight climate change. This year, there have been many breakthroughs and revelations. But the lack of action from world leaders in the past, after these summits, clearly shows that more needs to be done than throwing round sombre words.