COP28 - What to Watch for : Yale Climate Connections

Sultan al Jabr

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The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) climate change conference takes place November 30-December 12, 2023 in Dubai, UAE. Over 70,000 attendees are expected, including world leaders, though not U.S. President Biden. Pope Francis plans to attend, a first for a pope.

This COP will be a critical "stocktake" assessing progress 5 years after the Paris Agreement. A September report found current national emissions pledges fall far short of Paris goals, so COP28 launches a 2-year effort to bulk up ambitions.

The appointment of Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil, as COP28 president has drawn protests but he vows to portray fossil fuels as part of emissions solutions. Still, distrust lingers over this unprecedented fossil fuel industry leader role.

Other key issues in Dubai include finalizing a Loss and Damage Fund to aid nations harmed by climate change, assessing updated goals on tropical deforestation, and determining the host for 2024's COP29, complicated by Russia-Ukraine tensions blocking Eastern Europe options.

While protests in Dubai itself will be muted by legal and cultural constraints, the meetings aim to provide some outlet for activist voices. In the end, COP28 seeks to inject new momentum into global climate efforts but faces obstacles like economic pressures supporting status quo fossil fuel use.

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