The solutions presented at COP 28 to combat climate change and work towards a sustainable future.
As the world rapidly accelerates into a state of environmental peril as human activities continue to destroy our planet, several efforts and conventions have been organised over the years to undo the damage done. One such effort is the Conference of the Parties, better known as COP. With its first-ever instalment being held in 1995 in Berlin, Germany, and the latest, COP 28, held this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the conference, has managed to achieve numerous feats on the issue of climate change. This year’s instalment witnessed similar success, achieving several agreements and strategies to combat climate change and its related problems.
Beginnings of COP
1992 saw the initiation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), an international treaty joined by countries to coordinate international efforts to fight climate change. It was a framework designed to limit increases in global average temperatures and their resultant climate change, in addition to also being a convention that aimed to produce strategies to cope with the inevitable impacts of climate change.
As the years progressed, the convention produced efforts to strengthen the international community’s response to climate change to instil a greater sense of urgency regarding this global crisis. By 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in the third instalment of COP. The Kyoto Protocol legally bound developed country Parties to emission reduction targets. At present, the UNFCC has 197 Parties and the Kyoto Protocol has 192 Parties.
COP 28 – The Latest COP Event
At present, COP’s most recent instalment held in Dubai, COP 28, reinstated the urgency of addressing climate change. A key target that COP frequently centres its attention on is the need for immediate and effective strategies to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes concerning reports. COP 28 enabled the international community with access to a common platform to transform these information and strategies into commitments to an actual plan to mitigate the adversity that is climate change.
COP 28 enabled the international community with access to a common platform to transform these information and strategies into commitments to an actual plan to mitigate the adversity that is climate change.
This year’s COP event built on the works of COP 26 held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in 2021. Building on the Glasgow Climate Pact that laid the foundations to act on climate change, COP 28 worked to further solidify and set the COP 26 plans in motion.
Key Themes and Solutions Put Forward
Breaking the broader problem of climate change into small sub-issues, COP 28 set out and focused on a multitude of problems and values to combat this global crisis.
Amongst the several agendas of the conference, COP 28 served as a platform for the international community to reflect on individual countries’ emission reduction targets. This is in accordance with the IPCC’s urgency for significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The conference allowed an examination of the progress made since the previous COP event. An important outcome of the event was that countries revisited and committed to strengthening their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Alongside mitigating climate change itself, the conference also focused on strategies to help cope with the inevitable effects of climate change. One such area of focus was that of taking measures to be adaptive and resilient to the crisis. Placing an emphasis on these measures, COP 28 addressed that the effects of climate change are already taking place across the globe. Discourse especially ensued surrounding how to better support vulnerable communities at greater risk of being affected by climate change, through means of improving infrastructure and financial support. A comprehensive framework that included financial support, knowledge-sharing, and assistance with new technology was agreed upon to further assist vulnerable communities.
Talk of finances leads to the next agenda of COP 28 – investments and finances to implement climate action strategies. COP 28 revisited the financial commitments made as part of Glasgow’s COP 26, with a particular focus on the Green Climate Fund. To ensure a steady flow of resources to disproportionately affected communities, financial frameworks were explored by COP 28 attendees.
As part of the initiative to combat climate change, ‘innovation and exploration of new technology’ was a key topic of discussion at this year’s COP event. With the world hastily moving past the point of reversing climate change, more innovative and technocentric solutions are increasingly becoming an important part of the mitigation plan. COP 28 established a dedicated space to explore and exchange what is termed green technologies, thus bridging a technological gap between developed and developing nations.
In addition to green technologies, COP 28 saw discussion surrounding more nature-based solutions and the preservation of biodiversity. Increased reforestation efforts, responsible and sustainable land management, and conservation of ecosystems and hence their biodiversity were among many solutions proposed that were agreed upon. These solutions were proposed in recognition of the fact that climate change and biodiversity are deeply interconnected, thus reinforcing the need for more comprehensive solutions.
Human Efforts Required
In addition to the need for the allocation of resources and implementation of newer technologies, COP 28 highlighted the need for collective human efforts in mitigating climate change. An important human effort recognised at COP 28 this year was that of youth initiatives. With many youth activists and representatives present, the conference witnessed the beginning of multiple youth-driven initiatives in an effort to promote climate education and sustainability. The importance of providing a dialogue between the current decision-makers and future generations was especially highlighted at COP 28 and it recognised the need to include the youth’s voice in resolving this global crisis.
Furthermore, COP 28 also recognised the need for accountability and transparency. In the form of report publications, independent and unbiased assessments and more, COP 28 sought to remind the international community of the ever-increasing need for not only tracking progress but also being honest about new developments. The conference highlighted how holding governments and businesses accountable for their actions also plays a key role in ensuring that new climate regulations are being followed. This consequently will lead to a sense of collective responsibility and trust within and among nations, highlighted COP 28.
COP events, especially 2023’s COP 28, are important developments in the path to resolving the issue of climate change. COP 28 laid the foundation for further work to act upon the agreements and commitments made and served as a platform for countries to revisit their progress. This event highlighted the need for the international community to collectively work together to build a sustainable future. As we combat climate change and its likes, events like COP 28 help to instil a sense of hope that our collective efforts can ultimately succeed.
