By Ramon Rahangmetan
The COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai, scheduled by the end of this very year, is anticipated to be a pivotal gathering, building on the momentum and commitments made during previous COP meetings. As globally we are at a critical turning point where we look back on the overall progress of the Paris Agreement adopted by 196 countries on December 12th in 2015, as this will be evaluated.
The core objective of COP28’s thematic agenda is to converge various stakeholders – encompassing government entities, the youth, the business sector, investors, civil societies, primary affected communities, indigenous groups, and more – focusing on key solutions crucial to be expanded this decade.
These solutions aim to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees, fortify resilience, and significantly collect financial support. These approaches represent the answer to the Global Stocktake (GST), which specifically assesses global climate efforts, pinpoints shortcomings and collaboratively designs solution trajectories for 2030 and beyond.
What to expect at COP28?
The UAE as a host has shared details regarding a series of events spread for the two-week thematic program of the UN conference. These events stem from valuable input from a varied group of stakeholders about their desired outcomes for each theme day, also incorporating feedback from public consultations earlier in the year.
This initial lineup will be enriched, thereby incorporating some mandatory events as per the UNFCCC guidelines. To enhance cohesion, the Presidency might modify or adjust certain event topics, the following thematic events between November 30th and December 12th will take place;
• The Global Climate Action Summit; Gathers top-tier government officials and national leaders, in addition to representatives from civil society, the business world, the youth representatives, Indigenous communities, frontline groups, scientific realms and other sectors.
• The Inaugural Health Day; Coupled with a climate-health ministerial, seeks to unify viewpoints on key measures for the health sector’s reaction to climate shifts, accompanied by financial pledges for execution.
• Finance and Trade; Amplifying initiatives, broadening accessibility, and boosting cost-effectiveness. This necessitates in the global financial structure, increased provision of favourable financial assistance, cultivation of eco-friendly finance sectors and fortification of elective carbon markets.
• Energy and Industry; Essential themes in the energy and industry for utilization of renewable resources, enhanced energy optimization, innovative measures for high-emission industries (like steel, cement, and aluminum), tapping into hydrogen’s capabilities, and reducing carbon footprints in oil and gas production.
• Youth and Children; Emphasis will be placed on funding youth-driven creativity and entrepreneurial ventures, integrating them into policy formulation thereby enhancing their abilities, and revamping education to bridge the competency deficit for environmentally-friendly roles that resonate with climate initiatives.
• Nature and Land Use; Amplifying strong strategies that safeguard, rejuvenate adeptly oversee natural habitats, tackling the causes of environmental degradation, supporting Indigenous regional communities and fostering resilient ways of living.
• Food, Agriculture and Water; In the realm of food and agriculture, the emphasis is on investing in innovative techniques, promoting restorative farming practices and charting out national evolution strategies all reinforced by financial structures and project planning.
About The Author
Ramon Rahangmetan has a background in Urban Sustainable Development and Business Management. Ramon is an independent accredited lobbyist at the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg on behalf of his international organization, which has an Observer status at the UN Climate Conference including COP28.