What to expect at COP28

With less than a month to go until the United Nations’ annual summit to discuss activities arising from its Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP28, a number of critical topics are set to dominate the agenda at the conference, taking place from 30 November to 12 December 2023, in Dubai. 

But before we get into what to expect at the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, let’s take a quick look at what came out of the last meeting – COP27 – held in Egypt in 2022. Below are five key takeaways from COP27: 

1. There is a real need to establish a dedicated fund for climate loss and damage: A breakthrough agreement at the close of last year’s event saw attendees agreeing to provide loss and damage funding for the world’s most vulnerable countries who are often the hardest hit by climate-related natural disasters. 
2. We must keep the 1.5°C target within reach: To prevent the worsening of climate change, the world needs to come together to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C. This means reducing carbon emissions by 45% (based on 2010 levels) by 2030. Unfortunately, we are nowhere near achieving this. At COP27, countries reaffirmed their commitments to this target.
3. Holding businesses and governments accountable: There was a real focus on accountability when it comes to the commitments made by different sectors, businesses and governments. The importance of transparency and accountability was emphasised.
4. Funding transformation for the developing world: In order to deliver a global transformation to a low-carbon economy, funding is needed to help developing countries finance the change. And we mean a lot of money. By 2030, the developing world will need more than $2.4 trillion to address climate change - every single year. As such, it was stressed that no climate conversation can happen taking into account how the transition will be funded.
5. Renewed call for decisive action: Unsurprisingly, COP27 highlighted the urgency of our current situation and, as such, stressed the need to transform the promises and plans made at the event into concrete action. With this in mind, many of the decisions adopted at COP27 have a strong implementation focus. 

Point four, in particular, should concern African journalists covering the conference. We’ve put together an interactive explaining some of the issues around climate debt (including what it is) here. 

So, what can we expect at COP28? 

In order for us to accommodate the demands and address the challenges faced by as many countries as possible, the list of priorities for COP28 is a long one. That being said, a few key themes stand out. 

The conference is set to focus on boosting global renewable energy capacity, reducing oil and gas industry emissions and accelerating the reduction of unabated coal power, as well as identifying ways to transform heavy-emitting sectors. As part of this, in the run up to the event, news reports revealed that oil and gas industry executives from more than 50 companies across supply and demand recently came together to make tangible decarbonisation commitments in an effort to play a part in limiting global warming.

Additionally, much like the 2022 event, finance is expected to be one of the defining themes of the 2023 conference. Conversations around how the world can come up with trillions of dollars needed to fund our just climate transition will be a major focus.

Are you attending COP28? What do you expect to come out of the event? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.