Welcome to Day 2 of #COP28. In our Green Queen COP28 Daily Digest, our editorial team curates the must-reads, the must-bookmarks and the must-knows from around the interwebs to help you ‘skim the overwhelm’.
Headlines You Need To Know
The COP-related news you cannot miss.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS CALLS FOR COMPLETE FOSSIL FUEL PHASEOUT: António Guterres told AFP that COP28 should aim for a full phaseout of fossil fuel use to not just keep the 1.5°C goal alive, but “alive and well”. He warned of a “total disaster” if current trajectories persist.
COUNTRIES SIGN DECLARATION TO INCLUDE FOOD AND LAND USE IN CLIMATE PLANS: In the first-ever COP resolution tackling the link between food production and climate change, 134 leaders including US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Brazil, China and the UK, have endorsed a declaration to transform the food system and include food and land use in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans by 2025’s COP30 summit.
COP28 HOST UAE ANNOUNCES $30B CLIMATE FUND: UAE president Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed has announced a $30B investment fund for global climate solutions, which aims to bridge the climate finance gap and stimulate $250B of investment by 2030. It came after the Financial Times reported yesterday that the COP28 host was preparing to announce the fund.
UK LEADERS TAKE SEPARATE PRIVATE JETS TO COP28: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing fresh criticism after it emerged that he, Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and King Charles are taking separate private jets to Dubai. Sunak’s entourage has hit back and said it’s “not anti-flying”, citing its investment in Virgin Atlantic’s sustainable aviation fuel flight. The prime minister left after just 11 hours, by the way, before King Charles called this COP a “critical turning point”.
STRIPE LAUNCHES PLATFORM TO PRE-ORDER CARBON REMOVAL TONS: FIntech platform Stripe has launched Climate Orders, which allows businesses to pre-order a specific number of carbon removal tons through its dashboard. Companies can also use the API to incorporate permanent carbon removal into their own climate offerings.
CLIMATE REPORTER AMONG VOX LAYOFFS: As part of its latest round of job cuts, Vox let go of climate reporter Rebecca Leber yesterday, on the first day of the UN climate conference – she announced the news on social media. We just included one of her recent stories as a key resource to read in our Daily Digest yesterday.
Key #COP28 Reports
The food and climate reports you need to know about today.
- Carbon Brief explores the impact of colonialism on climate change: Climate journalism outlet Carbon Brief has published an analysis exploring the impact of colonial rule on the climate crisis, as it was the ruling countries that made the decisions leading to historical emissions. The US still remains top – and by a mile – but many countries see their contributions rise as a result.
- 77% of people want their governments to do what it takes for the climate: A 23-country survey by the Potential Energy Coalition has found that nearly four in five people (77%) agree with the statement: “It is essential that our government does whatever it takes to limit the effects of climate change. Just over 10% disagree. The US ranks the lowest out of the 23 countries in terms of policy support, a factor influenced by political polarisation.
- Renewable energy commitments likely at COP28, but hopes for 1.5° remain low: BloombergNEF’s COP Tracker has suggested that commitments of tripling renewable energy are quite likely at this year’s summit, but countries are expected to score just under 4/10 for progress on the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5°C.
- SDG2 Advocacy Hub lays out four critical areas for food solutions: The SDG2 Advocacy Hub (for Zero Hunger) has laid out a four-point Good Food for All Plan, including bringing climate and food systems together, adaptation to build resilience, mitigation to secure the future, and aligning finance for transformational impact.
Awesome Resources From Media Friends
A curation of our favourite reads of the day – excellent guides, explainers and op-eds from around the web.
Three things to watch at COP: Writing in TIME’s Climate is Everything newsletter, journalist Jeffrey Kluger lists three big things the magazine is watching at COP28: the global stock-tacking, a fossil fuel phaseout, and loss and damage funds.
Loss and damage funds key to climate justice: Speaking of loss and damage funds, we love the Guardian’s explainer outlining just how important these are to deliver climate justice in developing countries at COP28.
How to talk about COP: Forbes has published a handy guide detailing the history of the UN climate summit, who’s in charge, why it matters, and how to talk about COP (it’s a platform for the unheard, represents the absolute minimum, and it’s just a starting point).
Watch CCNow’s guide to understanding carbon removal: Ahead of COP28, Covering Climate Now held a press briefing to explain everything about carbon removal – what it is, how it’s different from carbon storage, and how the two can help mitigate the climate crisis. Watch the hour-long discussion here.
Lighter Green Fun
Funny stuff, weird stuff, random stuff related to COP you may enjoy.
Cli-fi to be previewed at COP28: There’s a climate fiction novel being previewed at COP28. Written by Steve Willis and Jan Lee, Fairhaven – A Novel of Climate Optimism is set in Asia and offers a more positive approach to climate adaptation and mitigation solutions.
FT ad calls for fossil fuel phaseout: An advert in the Financial Times calls for an end to fossil fuels, saying over 200 businesses, 670 scientists, 100 cities, and 46 million health professionals stand united in that goal and calling on national governments to take a stand. The tagline is the killer: ‘Later is too late.’
Rehab by drug dealers: On a LinkedIn post predicting that nothing useful will happen at the oil-baron-headed COP28 – with the note that climate action is occurring around the world, just outside the summit – one comment summed up the mood, calling the Dubai summit a “rehab session hosted by drug dealers”. You’ve got to laugh while you cry. This sentiment also seems to belong to climate activist Greta Thunberg shares the sentiment. The Swedish straight talker, who hasn’t indicated whether she’ll be attending (her social media is mum), previously described the conference as “blah, blah, blah”.
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