Recent climate statistics have been alarming, even for hardy climate campaigners. Last weekend for the first time, the world temporarily breached 2°C of warming showing worldwide temperatures are continuing to rocket.
Greenpeace pointed out that If you made $20 million per year since Jesus was born you would still not make the profit Shell made in 2022. It’s time for Shell to Stop Drilling and Start Paying for the climate damage they’ve caused.
It is in this context that we prepare for COP 28, which takes place from 30th November to 12th December 2023 in the United Arab Emirates.
COP is the Conference of the Parties, the parties being nations. It is an annual event organised by the United Nations to address climate change. This Conference provides a platform for global leaders and delegates to engage in discussions and find solutions to tackle the challenges posed by climate change. COPs serve as a forum to explore the latest scientific findings, policy advancements, and practical measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change.
This year’s COP will be controversial. The previous 27 COPs have failed to reduce global emissions, so global temperatures are still increasing. They have also failed to provide the poorest countries with compensation for the loss and damage caused by the rich countries’ emissions. Loss and damage includes destruction caused by flooding and storms and failure of crops due to the increase in droughts. Loss and Damage will be on the Agenda again this year when COP is expected to pass a compromise motion which will provide some funding but not nearly enough to satisfy the Least Developed Countries.
More than 80 countries want an agreement to phase out fossil fuels, but this is strongly opposed by many oil and gas producers. It is only when we successfully do this that we can expect temperatures to stabilise in the future- but there will be a time lag as what we have emitted already will continue to overheat the earth for some time. This is expected to be at least two decades. However, this does not account for tipping points, which, if we reach them, could continue to heat the planet.
The “global stocktake” is a process by which progress will be assessed on meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial level. This will be contentious, as rich economies will have to face up to the inadequacy of their current efforts at emissions reduction. Many climate scientists now accept that the 1.5C goal is impossible.
Mr. Sultan Al Jaber, the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, has been appointed to lead the Conference. He will be responsible for overseeing the organisation and execution of this global gathering. It’s a bit like putting a fox in charge of the hen house.
In a letter to La Monde 180 climate activists announced they would boycott COP28. They say “behind the fine “environmental ambitions” announced by the United Arab Emirates, more than anything, the country is the world’s seventh-largest extractor of black gold and the fifth-largest emitter of CO2 on the planet. Abu Dhabi even plans to increase the number of barrels it produces by 25% by 2027! Clearly, the country lives “by and for” oil, and holding a UN climate conference there is not only absurd but dangerous.”
Unfortunately, COP28 is the only hope we currently have of getting global agreements to tackle the planetary crises we are facing. But we must call out its failures and work internationally to improve it.
On Sunday 19th Nov Sheffield hosted a conference on Energy Independence for Community Empowerment. The keynote speaker was Prof Elisabeth Holland who is Professor of Ocean and Climate Change at the University of the South Pacific (USP), one of only two regional universities serving 12 Pacific Island countries. Elisabeth will be attending COP28. These island nations are extremely vulnerable to climate change. They are currently protected by coral reefs which are already starting to decline and are not likely to survive if world temperatures continue to climb to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Without the protection of the reefs cyclones (which are becoming more frequent and more powerful) will inflict huge damage on the islands.
Lots of events are planned in Sheffield around COP28. The biggest will be the march and rally on December 9th. One march will leave the Univ. of Sheff at 11:30 to assemble Devonshire Green for 12pm. There will then be a march to City Hall at 12.45pm.
On Saturday, December 2nd many Green groups will have stalls in town from 12-3pm, on the Moor and by the Railway Station. Do come and chat with them and get involved.
Other events include
* screening of “Once You Know” at the Showroom on Thursday 30th at 5.30pm
* Green Party Party at the Broomhall Centre on Saturday 2nd from 6.30pm
*Climate Vigil on Monday 4th on Howard Street
*Meeting looking at the links between Climate Justice and Palestine Justice at 7pm Wednesday 6th at Central United Reformed Church
*Banner Painting for the Demonstration all day on Friday 8th at the University Students Union Gallery Presentation Area.
The march is being organised by the Climate Justice Coalition. They say
Temperatures are rising. 2023 will be the hottest year on record. In the last 12 months, rising global temperatures brought extreme heat waves across southern Europe, Asia and in the Americas. Severe floods hit many countries from Greece to China, the US to Libya – where two dams failed and killed many thousands. Apocalyptic wildfires, storms and droughts struck again and again across the globe.
As the world heats up, extreme weather events on every continent are becoming more frequent and more destructive, leaving behind mass devastation and loss of life and livelihoods in communities around the world.
Corporate profits are rising. If we’re to have any hope of a liveable planet and tackling the climate crisis, we must dramatically and immediately reduce the use of fossil fuels – and overturn the systems of extraction, exploitation and oppression fuelling this crisis. But the profits keep going up.
In 2022, five oil and gas giants made combined profits of over £150 billion. The world’s 722 biggest companies made more than $1 trillion on the back of soaring energy prices and increasing interest rates. Energy prices in Britain are double what they were two years ago, while wages and benefits lag far behind rises in the cost of living.
This year, the UK government plans to approve 100 new licences for oil and gas in the North Sea and granted Norwegian firm Equinor permission to drill Rosebank, the biggest undeveloped oil field. Tax handouts mean hundreds of millions lost from the public purse, while new oil and gas will be sold on international markets – fuelling profits and doing nothing to reduce our energy bills.
Prices will keep rising, corporate profits will keep rising and the world will keep burning – unless we rise.
We’ll rise in our communities. We will replace the destructive, expensive fossil fuel economy with a real alternative: one that puts people and nature first in all our communities, while creating secure, well paid, unionised jobs. We can take advantage of cheap, renewable energy to cut bills. We can keep everyone warm through winter by insulating our homes. We can build accessible, affordable public transport to link our communities and cut disease from air pollution.
We’ll rise across the country. We will call out our leaders’ climate hypocrisy. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Britain is a ‘world-leader’ on climate, but approved developing the Rosebank oil field – equal to the annual emissions of the 28 poorest countries combined. UN climate negotiations at COP28 this year will be presided over by an oil executive in the United Arab Emirates. We won’t let a tiny club of leaders and industrialists in wealthy countries ramp up fossil fuel production, while lecturing the rest of the world on climate action.
We’ll rise on a global level. We will stand with communities in the global South who are suffering from the climate crisis, which they did not create, and which does the greatest damage to countries already burdened by the legacy of colonialism and unjust debt. Rich nations must provide urgent climate finance and reparations for loss and damage.
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