2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also called COP28, was the 28th meeting of world leaders to talk about protecting our planet. It took place from November 30 to December 13 in Expo City Dubai. Every year, leaders from many countries meet to discuss ways to stop the world from getting too hot because of climate change and to prepare for changes that are already happening.

This conference was supposed to end on December 12, but it was extended to December 13 because some countries, including Saudi Arabia, had disagreements about the final plan. Finally, on December 13, the leaders reached an agreement called the UAE Consensus. This agreement asked all countries to move away from energy sources that hurt our environment, like coal and oil, in a fair way and to reach net zero pollution by the year 2050.

The conference faced some criticism because it was led by Sultan Al Jaber, who is also the leader of a big oil company in the United Arab Emirates. Some people worried that he might not be fair because of his job. There were also concerns about the host country because the UAE is a big producer of fuels that harm the environment. These issues made some people question whether the conference was truly helping to protect our planet.

Background

The United Nations Climate Change Conference happens every year. Countries that signed the 1994 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meet to talk about slowing down climate change. In 2021, the United Arab Emirates said they would host the 2023 meeting. Dubai was picked to be the host city in November 2021. This was the third time a country in OPEC hosted the meeting, after Indonesia and Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates faces big climate challenges because it is very hot and dry. The temperature there has gone up since 1990. The Red Sea and Persian Gulf have gotten too hot, and there are more dust storms and droughts. The UAE has promised to stop adding more pollution to the air by 2050 and was the first country in its area to agree to the Paris Agreement in 2016. They have spent money on clean energy and plan to spend more by 2030.

Before the meeting, leaders from the United States of America, China, and the European Union met to plan. They agreed to use more renewable energy by 2030. In September 2023, the United Nations shared a report showing the world is not doing enough to stop climate change. It said that to keep the temperature from rising too much, the world needs to stop using fossil fuels and work together better. Some leaders were worried that fights between countries would make it hard to agree on plans at the meeting.

Summit proceedings

COP28 was a very big meeting about the climate, with over 80,000 people coming. This included government leaders, heads of state, and experts from places that use oil and gas. Many people talked about how many people came and how some used planes that create pollution.

King Charles III of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms gave the opening speech. He talked about pollution in the air and said the world needs to do more to keep the Earth safe.

On the first day, leaders agreed to start a fund to help places hurt by climate change. Countries like the United Arab Emirates and Germany gave money to this fund.

During the meeting, leaders talked about using more clean energy like wind and sun power. They also talked about taking care of forests and keeping the Earth healthy.

At the end of the meeting, leaders made a plan to use less oil and gas and more clean energy. They promised to help each other make these changes fairly. They also talked about keeping people healthy and safe as the Earth changes.

Controversies

Before the conference, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hired some public relations firms to improve how people thought about their work on climate change. Some people were worried the UAE tried to change ideas about them by editing information online and using fake social media accounts.

There were concerns about how some workers were treated while getting ready for the conference.

Some groups were worried the UAE might watch people during the conference. There were also reports that the UAE wanted to talk about oil and gas deals with other countries during the meeting. Some activists were not allowed to protest, and a few were asked to leave when they tried to talk about important matters.

Reactions

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, was happy that a fund was created to help with damage from climate change. She said we need to put a price on carbon and stop giving money to pay for oil, gas, and coal.

On December 6, 2023, Haitham al-Ghais, the leader of OPEC, asked countries to work on lowering pollution from oil, gas, and coal instead of stopping their use completely. In response, Greenpeace asked Arab countries to stop using oil, gas, and coal by 2050. They said that if the world’s temperature goes up too much, countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia could lose money. But if we keep the temperature rise small, the loss would be smaller.