No. 68: COP 28 + the holiday season
A few things to share :)
Hi all! I know this time of year can be stressful, overwhelming, annoying, or exciting; however you see it, I’m wishing you the best! (I for one am excited about the holidays but stressed and annoyed by shopping and the constant promotion of overconsumption. COP28 also didn’t help.)
COP 28 - Are we even surprised by now?
COP 28, the 28th annual United National Climate Change Conference is being held in Dubai this year and started on November 30 and is concluding on Tuesday, December 11 (UNFCC).
Having previously heard of this year’s COP president, the CEO of an oil company, I had low expectations, one could even say fear about what it would bring. But COPs have been disappointing for a while now. For one, a pledge was made over a decade ago by the highest-income countries, the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, and Japan all pledged $100 billion to aid in climate projects and funding for developing nations, yearly, ending in 2021. These findings are a result of an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report. Unsurprisingly the pledges were never met and the deadline has been extended to 2025.
Although that’s not to say developing nations have not received any financial support; developed nations provided over $89 billion in 2021 alone, but that only barely scratches the surface for what they owe (India Today).
But for this year, here are some reasons COP28 was especially horrific:
According to The Guardian, there were at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance at COP28.
As well as big meat and dairy lobbyists (The Guardian)
COP28 President, Sultan Al Jaber, claims there is no science backing a fossil fuel phaseout for mitigating climate effects. Remember: he is the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (read more below). However, he later contradicted himself, stressing the importance of a fossil fuel phaseout.
Although there is some promising news:
How an oil executive led the world to an agreement to ditch fossil fuels (Grist)
From Forbes:
“The conference reached landmark agreements on loss and damage and a clear ambition to transition away from fossil fuels. However, in the final accounting, much of the agreement feels like incrementalism. Against the urgency of the moment, during the hottest year on record, when giant leaps are needed, small steps are not enough.”
Loss and Damage
Climate Finance Target
Global Goal on Adaptation
Global Stocktake and Fossil Fuels
Carbon Markets
Further reading: The successes and failures of COP28 (Brookings)
Sustainable Holidays (no words needed!)
16 Simple Sustainable Ways to Wrap Your Gifts (Sustainable Baddie)
Check out…
In France, zero-waste experiments tackle a tough problem: People’s habits (Grist) - Using a “tell them” strategy (versus “pay them” or “stop them”), one city hopes to reduce waste by educating residents one-on-one.
Another tactic for discouraging waste is the “pay them” method mentioned earlier: as a country, “France [is] sharply increasing general tax on polluting activities. In 2019, it cost 18 euros to send a metric ton of waste to the landfill; in 2025, the cost will be 65 euros.”
Faircado - a sustainability tool that offers secondhand options (Only available in the UK and Germany)
Tree-planting search engine Ecosia launches ‘green’ AI chatbot (TNW) - “Powered by OpenAI’s API, Ecosia’s chatbot has a “green answers” option. This triggers a layered green persona that will provide users with more sustainable results and answers. Say, suggest train rides over air travel.” More info: Ecosia is a steward-owned company, the community has planted over 187 million trees, and the search engine is powered by over 100% of solar energy!
Lastly, some videos about Taylor Swift being a billionaire (sharing for any other anti-capitalist Swifties out there 🫡):