We need to talk about COP28, the 28th installment of the United Nations Climate Talks, which will take place in Dubai, UAE at the end of this year. For the first time ever, the CEO of an oil company - literally the constituency that must stop all new oil & gas and phase-down existing oil & gas - has been appointed as the President of a COP - literally the global forum which is supposed to phase-down the production of oil & gas. Does this mean that Big Oil has finally succeeded in completing its hijacking of the annual meeting of 198 countries to act on climate? Should the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat be going nuts about it and acting (fat chance, probably)? Or does fighting climate change require all hands on deck, as some prominent voices have argued? Listen, weep or cheer, and make up your own mind. Then do something about it.
We need to talk about COP28, the 28th installment of the United Nations Climate Talks, which will take place in Dubai, UAE at the end of this year. For the first time ever, the CEO of an oil company - literally the constituency that must stop all new oil & gas and phase-down existing oil & gas - has been appointed as the President of a COP - literally the global forum which is supposed to phase-down the production of oil & gas. Does this mean that Big Oil has finally succeeded in completing its hijacking of the annual meeting of 198 countries to act on climate? Should the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat be going nuts about it and acting (fat chance, probably)? Or does fighting climate change require all hands on deck, as some prominent voices have argued? Listen, weep or cheer, and make up your own mind. Then do something about it.