COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, wrapped up this week in Dubai, UAE. While we were not allowed to host the Climate Justice Pavilion again this year, we sent eight of our staff to make sure that climate justice and the voices of those most-impacted by the climate crisis were part of this global convening.
Peggy Shepard participated in five panel discussions, ranging from funding climate justice and carbon markets to how activists, academics, and philanthropy can work together to advance climate justice. She met with representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy to voice our opposition to the expansion of Liquified Natural Gas infrastructure (watch this webinar to learn more about how LNG is harming our communities and what can be done about it). And she met with members of the U.S. State Department’s delegation, who negotiated on behalf of the United States at this climate conference, to discuss climate adaptation and resilience, climate migration, and loss and damage.
Loss and damage was one of the two major developments that came out of this annual conference. It is an initiative that seeks to help developing countries cope with the impacts of climate change with funding being provided by the developed countries who have historically produced the most greenhouse gas emissions. While the details of this fund have yet to be worked out, an initial $400 million has already been committed, though that is a mere fraction of the estimated need, and the U.S. only committed $17.5 million so far.
The other major development is that an agreement was reached that nations must “transition away” from fossil fuels – the use of which is the primary cause of climate change – in a “just, orderly, and equitable” manner. While it is difficult to get overly excited that, after 28 annual global summits to address the climate crisis, world leaders have finally acknowledged that we need to stop burning fossil fuels, it is a historic milestone. After all, you can solve a problem of this magnitude until you can get everyone to acknowledge the cause. But it should also be noted that the original language called for a “phase out” of fossil fuels, which was unfortunately rejected in favor of the weaker language of transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Another notable development was a commitment by more than 120 nations – including the U.S. – to triple renewable energy by 2030. The U.S. was also among the countries that reaffirmed their commitment to cut methane by at least 30 percent by 2030.
Pamela Stewart-Martinez, Marileidy Pimentel, and Dr. Micaela Martinez gave a bilingual presentation at the Dominican Republic's pavilion to showcase WE ACT's approach to advancing climate justice, serving as a model for other grassroots organizations. And the team participated in a number of roundtable discussions, receptions, and meetings to advance and build support for a global climate justice movement as we prepare for the return of the Climate Justice Pavilion at next year's conference, which will likely be held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
