Update on COP28

The UN’s climate conference, COP28, is happening in the United Arab Emirates. Here’s a quick update:

Good news

The conference started well. On day one, they sorted out the agenda, so there will be no fights over what can and can’t be discussed during the summit. They’ve also begun work on the global stock take, and we can expect a draft text soon.

A few hours after the opening ceremony, COP agreed and acted on the loss and damage fund. This fund, decided at COP27, faced tough negotiations recently.

On day one, countries started making financial pledges. The United Arab Emirates, the host nation, led with $100 million. Other big economies followed. This shows that rich countries agree to help poorer ones deal with climate impacts.

What’s next?

In the coming days, there will be long discussions about small details. Decisions in a Climate Summit need everyone to agree, making it seem slow. But it also means everyone is committed to the decisions made.

The Climate Summit is crucial. It’s where all countries decide how to handle the climate emergency together. Without it, every country would act alone.

Environmental impact

You might wonder about the carbon footprint of the summit itself. The carbon cost is much less compared to the potential impact of COP in reducing carbon emissions. The carbon cost of the COP26 summit in Glasgow was out-stripped 72,200 times by the prize of the carbon that global agreements at COP can cut.

Resources

• If you want to learn more about UN climate summits, check out this helpful infographic by Sustainability Unlocked, an online learning platform.
• Climate Action Fife offers free Fife ClimateKnowhow training to help build understanding of the climate emergency.

Ea O Neill, Community Engagement Team Manager, Greener Kirkcaldy