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10 Take-Aways From The First Days COP 28

What You Should Know

Author

Mark Brunjes
December 04, 2023

Saddle up for a whirlwind tour of the first few days of COP 28, the latest global pow-wow on climate change, where the air was thick with big promises, heated debates, and a dash of royal flair.

Let's break it down into digestible, eco-friendly chunks:

  1. The "Loss and Damage" Piggy Bank: Picture this – a shiny new fund to help developing countries weather the storm of climate impacts, kick-started with a whopping $400 million! Find out from who here. Sounds impressive, right? But hold your horses, because this fund's appetite is more like a billion-dollar buffet than a light snack, but it’s a good start.

  1. Royal Rumble with King Charles: On day two, King Charles grabbed the mic and dropped some hard truths. His message? We're veering off the eco-friendly track, and it's high time we buckle up and steer towards a greener future. Nicely said King 👑

  2. Oil's Not-So-Secret Influence: Rumor had it that the oil bigwigs were trying to pull some strings at the summit. The host country, the UAE, was caught in a game of "we did, we didn't" over alleged secret oil deals, stirring up a pot of controversy about the summit's true colors. More on this here from the BBC

  3. The Methane Meet-Up and Beyond: The US and China – not always the best of pals – threw a joint party on methane and other greenhouse gases and committed to ramping up renewables. Meanwhile, Germany and Chile were busy setting up a “club of governments” to help developing nations invest in industry emissions for those tough-to-green sectors like steel and cement. Reuters report here.

  1. Agriculture's Time to Shine: For the first time, COP 28 dedicated a whole day to talking about our food – where it comes from, how it's grown, and how to make the whole shebang more sustainable. We were very happy to see this as the world’s food systems account for ⅓ of all human-caused emissions and not talking about this has caused controversy in previous COP summits.

  2. Global Climate Report Card: This was like parent-teacher night for the planet, with a thorough check-up on how well countries are doing in keeping the Earth cool. Spoiler alert: we might need some extra tutoring to hit those Paris Agreement goals.

  3. Fossil Fuels – Friend or Foe?: The big debate: to keep or not to keep fossil fuels. While some countries were all for showing fossil fuels the door, others (looking at you, Russia) weren't quite ready to say goodbye.

  4. Tech to the Rescue: There was buzz about fancy tech to capture and store CO2. Yes, it sounds like a sci-fi solution to climate woes, but some worry it's just a pricey excuse to keep burning the old black gold.

  1. The Renewable Energy Race: Imagine a world with triple the windmills and solar panels and double the energy savings – that's the dream pitched at COP 28. But, as always, there's a catch: saying adios to fossil fuels might ruffle some feathers. More from Reuters on this here.
     

  2. Deals on the Side: The UAE tried a new trick, getting oil and gas companies to pinky-promise to cut emissions. It's like asking ice cream vendors to promote dieting – ambitious, but hey, why not? Reuters report here.

We are off to a great start for COP 28 – a mix of ambition, action, and a smidge of royal drama. Stay tuned for the next episode in this ongoing saga of saving our planet! 🌍💚👑

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