COP is short for Conference of Parties also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, it plays a vital role in uniting parties to address climate change. It has been four days of COP28 holding in the United Arab Emirates and so far we have seen a lot of new important items on the agenda and a few controversies as well.
One such controversy involves the COP president, Sultan Al Jaber, he is an engineer, businessman, and politician from the UAE and concerns were raised about potential conflicts of interest involving the promotion of national oil and gas deals. He has however come out to deny such allegations.
Loss and Damage
The conference kicked off with a positive development in Loss and Damage financing. Loss and damage financing aims to provide support to vulnerable nations as they deal with the effects of climate change. Last year’s COP27 agreed on the Loss and damage fund, and at the kick off of COP28, it became operational.
The $400 billion annual target saw pledges from countries like the UAE and Germany pledging $100M each, Germany, the United Kingdom $75M, the USA $17M and much more pledges currently totalling over $400 million. The modest contribution from the USA as well as the absence of a pledge from China has raised eyebrows as these two countries are the top polluters. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaking on this also called on world leaders for generous contributions.
Also worthy of mention is that the Youth Grant making council has launched a $275000 grant for organizations addressing loss and damage issues.
World Climate Action Summit
The World Climate Action Summit was also held on December 1 and 2 with 176 world leaders present. The summit is an important platform for World Leaders and emphasized the need to turn climate decisions into concrete actions.
Youth inclusion was a notable highlight at this summit as members of YOUNGO presented the Global Youth Statement at the summit. The GYS represents the “demands and aspirations” of children and youth from over 160 countries around the world and highlights their collective climate policy demands. Read the press release here.
Nigeria at COP 28
Nigeria President Tinubu was seen also present at COP28, at COP he unveiled some of his plans to make Nigeria greener including plans for 100 electric buses, this is following the announcement of similar electric buses in Lagos in partnership with OANDO.
Nigeria’s attendance at COP28 has also been trending among many Nigerians, this is due to the extensive Nigerian delegation of over 1000 delegates and the inclusion of non-climate-related figures, like influencer Toke Makinwa. The government has responded by pointing out that delegates are there to promote their respective causes and this does not necessarily mean they are sponsored or funded by the government.
Health and COP
December 3 was the first ever Health day at COP with the focus on health, relief, recovery, and peace. This COP is committed to putting health at the center of climate discussions in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
The UAE launched the ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health’ to place health at the heart of climate action, the plan which as developed with insights from the US, UK, Brazil, Germany and others has so far been signed by 128 countries.
Mental health’s intersection with climate change was also addressed, with COP² launching a roadmap capturing global knowledge on the subject. This launch also featured a side event where our founder Jennifer Uchendu spoke on building psychological resilience, she mentioned “When young people are already grieving the lives they won’t get to live, we have a very peculiar public health issue, but also social health issue brewing. We need to understand how to build psychological resilience”
First ever Faith Pavilion
We have seen a lot of firsts at COP28 including the inauguration of the Faith Pavilion recognizing the role of faith communities in tackling the climate crisis. This was a build-up on the Global Faith Leaders’ Summit on 6 and 7 November, during the Summit, 28 faith leaders signed the ‘Confluence of Conscience: Uniting for Planetary Resurgence’.
While many looked forward to having his holiness, Pope Francis presence, he couldn’t attend due to health reasons, however, his voice was present and in his recording, he said “Today, the world needs alliances that are not against someone, but for the benefit of everyone. Let us, as religious representatives, set an example to show that change is possible, to demonstrate respectful and sustainable lifestyles, and let us fervently ask the leaders of nations to preserve our common home”.
This week at COP
This week at COP 28, the agenda features different thematic days, including Gender Day and Finance/Trade/Accountability Day, Just Transition/Indigenous Peoples Day and Energy/Industry Day, Multilateral Action Day and Urbanization/Transport Day, a rest day, Youth, Children, Education, and Skills Day, Nature, Land Use, and Oceans Day, and concluding with Food and Agriculture Day & Water Day.
So far, what do you think about COP?