Sabah al-khair (good morning) from Dubai! Half of our Window into COP delegation is officially on the ground in the United Arab Emirates at COP28, the 28th annual international UN climate negotiations (Conference of the Parties).

Thanks for following our negotiation summary updates and joining this experience with us.

An estimated 70,000 people from more than 100 countries are gathering at COP28 –– where action is critical and expectations run high for this conference to go beyond negotiations and pledges. The lead up to the conference has been tense, with a lackluster General Assembly in September, several new climate reports coming out urging serious action, and concerns of greenwashing from companies and the COP Presidency running rampant. Just this week, news broke that the COP President, Sultan al–Jaber, who is also the CEO of the oil company Adnoc, was advised to push talking points for new oil and gas deals in meetings with 15 countries. Al–Jaber has denied these claims.

The three main issues many are monitoring at COP28 are loss and damage funding, securing a committed phase out of fossil fuels, and the Global Stocktake. We will dive into these critical components of the Paris Agreement during this experience. These topics are essential for world leaders to align on because of devastating and deadly climate impacts happening right now around the world — especially in developing countries who have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s time for climate justice to be taken seriously.

These Window into COP28 digests will be published around 8 a.m. CT every other day, featuring climate policy summaries, videos with leaders from around the world, photos, hot takes on what’s needed to address the climate crisis, and more.

We’re committed to giving you an authentic look at the COP experience and our goal is to provide you with easy-to-digest information to empower you to be informed on global climate change policy!

Climate Generation has been attending the COPs since 2009 with the knowledge that voices from youth, educators, and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis are critical to bear witness and push for ambitious action.

It’s important to acknowledge that climate change is intersectional, and this conference is bringing leaders together at a time when war and violence across the globe is causing serious loss of life and international grief, driving oil prices higher, and discouraging the international cooperation that’s required for aligned action on the climate crisis. It only goes to show how inseparable climate stability is from human rights and global politics, especially at a time when the majority of the world says “climate change should be either a ‘very high’ or ‘high’ priority for their own governments (103 out of 110 surveyed areas),” according to a recent survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

While the stakes are high, we are excited to center voices of Minnesota youth, artists, authors, advocates, and leaders while celebrating the intergenerational solutions happening at a global scale throughout this experience.

Today, delegates from across the world are arriving in Dubai, picking up their badges for the Blue Zone (the sanctioned UN area of the conference), participating in the Opening Ceremony, and looking to Friday and Saturday’s World Leaders Summit –– the closed-door-but-broadcasted event where heads of state will share progress they’ve made, priorities for this COP, and even excuses or smoke-and-mirrors statements about their lack of climate action.

We’ll see you Saturday with a breakdown of highlights that come out of the World Leaders Summit, and on-the-ground perspectives from our delegates.

Do you have something you want to see during COP28? What can we help you understand? We invite you to reply to this email to share your thoughts, reactions, or suggestions!

The post Your Summary of Negotiations –– Window into COP28 appeared first on Climate Generation.

Your Summary of Negotiations –– Window into COP28