Attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai—especially as a first time participant—has offered a stark contrast between high-level, restricted negotiations conducted with all the pomp of attending world leaders, and the long lines that awaited the passionate and somewhat frustrated participants from “civil society.” Amidst the confusion of acronyms, ever shifting schedules, and a vast campus, the fate of the earth will be hotly debated between increasingly polarized camps that sometimes seem divided as much by class as by politics.Attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai—especially as a first time participant—has offered a stark contrast between high-level, restricted negotiations conducted with all the pomp of attending world leaders, and the long lines that awaited the passionate and somewhat frustrated participants from “civil society.” Amidst the confusion of acronyms, ever shifting schedules, and a vast campus, the fate of the earth will be hotly debated between increasingly polarized camps that sometimes seem divided as much by class as by politics.

Today marked the first official gathering for the World Climate Action Summit, one of three world leader events that will focus on the first progress assessment, or Global Stocktake, of the commitments made at the 2016 Paris Agreement.

Opening under a cloud of controversy generated by the COP28 President’s dual role as the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, more than a few participants have expressed skepticism about the UN’s ability to make progress towards its goals, while others have insisted on remaining positive, even idealistic, in finding value in the experience. What I’ve realized is that it’s not the leadership at this event that inspires me but the feeling of being surrounded by people of all colors, speaking many languages, some in traditional dress, who have traveled a long way to share their stories, their love of their communities, and our shared responsibility for the earth.

Despite the reluctance of our world leaders to act decisively on behalf of a global community, there is no denying the harsh truths that were revealed today at a well-attended press conference hosted by Demand Climate Justice in response to the World Climate Action Summit. One of the key issues to be discussed during the Summit is the Loss and Damage fund that was established to recognize responsibility by developed countries like the United States for emissions damage done to developing countries. Meena Raman, Third World Network, insisted that developed countries must stop accelerating overuse of fossil fuels, a trend she described as a form of “carbon colonialism” directed at developing countries. Speaking in tones sharp with frustration, she announced that the United States pledged “peanuts,” to the Loss and Damage fund, a mere $17 million that will be subject to Congressional approval. The United Arab Emirates and European Union pledged a combined total of approximately $225 million. Raman demanded, “When we have money for missiles and bombs, where is the money for climate change?”

The United States pledge is especially unjust because, as Victor Menotti from the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice informed us, the US holds only 4% of the world’s population while generating 24% of the world’s emissions since 1850. One of the key sticking points for COP28 is whether the United States and other developed countries will recognize their responsibility for the historical damage inflicted on developing countries. Even though fossil fuels are finally included in the Stocktake, the United States wants to limit the focus to coal, while continuing to expand development of other fossil fuels. In other words, the colonialist policies that were part of our country’s founding history will continue despite evidence that points towards our own self-destruction.

If current trends continue, temperatures will rise far above the target goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius to 2.7 or even 3 degrees by the end of the century.

This will result in catastrophic climate changes that will disproportionately affect developing countries, Indigenous peoples, and low-income communities of color. Without adequate reparations, people in the global south will continue to experience worsening energy poverty.

While I remain hopeful that the United Nations will find the political will to insist on real, timely and equitable climate policies, I believe that our transformation to a sustainable global community will be driven by the people who understand that we are all related, Mitakuye Owasin, who stand up to protect what they love: their families, their communities, and the earth.

Diane Wilson is a Dakota writer, educator, and bog steward, who has published four award-winning books as well as numerous essays. Her novel, The Seed Keeper, received the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for Fiction, and her memoir, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past, won a 2006 Minnesota Book Award and was selected for the 2012 One Minneapolis One Read program. She has also published a nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life, a middle-grade biography, Ella Cara Deloria: Dakota Language Protector, and co-authored a picture book—Where We Come From. Wilson is a Mdewakanton descendent, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation. She is the former Executive Director for Dream of Wild Health, an Indigenous non-profit farm, and the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, a national coalition of tribes and organizations working to create sovereign food systems for Native people.

Diane is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP28. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.

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Political Reality