Lisa Made It
The Wildlife Trusts and COP28
What is COP?
COP stands for 'Conference of the Parties', which are regular United Nations (UN) conferences on its different conventions (written legal agreements between countries and the UN).
This year the 28th climate COP (hence COP28 for short) was scheduled to take place from 30th November to 12th December, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. However, it overran by a day and finished on 13th December. This was the 28th meeting on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Here, world leaders came together to take stock of global action on climate change and seek to agree how to go further and faster.
Want to know what happened at COP28?
We put together bitesize video updates from the negotiations in Dubai - helping to explain these complex discussions in an easily digestible way!
A potted history
COPs are the ultimate decision-making meetings and this one reviewed progress made by the 197 nations and territories that have signed the UN's Convention on Climate Change.
Our slides below share some of the key historical moments up to this point:
What The Wildlife Trusts wanted to see from COP28?
Action now. In 2023, the dire consequences of climate change are already evident, following another year of unprecedented climate events. COP28 should have prioritised this crisis, urging substantial action on national emissions targets and a decisive move away from fossil fuels. The world is falling short of measures to safeguard people and nature. Our plea was for nature to take centre stage, intertwined with considerations of food, climate adaptation, and the crucial connection between international commitments and Sustainable Development Goals (read about them here).
To move from theory and spoken commitments into action, parties should have prioritised and funded high integrity and trustworthy nature-based solutions that help us mitigate and adapt to climate change, and also provide benefits for nature and communities. We wanted to see COP28 rejecting greenwashing and lobbying by major corporations. Humanity and nature face a crisis, demanding leaders to confront the harsh reality of slow progress.
Despite challenges, hope and positive action are essential. It's not too late for us, collectively, to make a transformative impact. They; we; all of us; have the power to make a positive difference.
The outcomes of COP28
After the last tumultuous two days of COP28, a final global stocktake decision was gavelled through at speed this morning by the UAE President Sultan Al Jaber without giving nations a chance to start to comment – a tactic also used last year at the biodiversity COP15.
What is the global stocktake?
The global stocktake is a process that allows countries to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals set in the global climate change agreement, made in Paris in 2015. And just as importantly it shows where progress is not being made. The first-ever global stocktake of the Paris Agreement was concluded at COP28. Find out more.
Actions you can take
If you’re feeling inspired or looking for ideas for how you can take action yourself, at home, in your community or workplace, have a look at our action pages. We also have resources specifically designed for children and young people too!
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