COP28 UAE
Aiming high
The upcoming UN Climate Summit will take place in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023. It will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Photo: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism
The upcoming UN Climate Summit will take place in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023. It will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Photo: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism
The United Arab Emirates is hosting the next UN Climate Change Conference: COP28 UAE from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai. It is half-time for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and high time to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and reduce CO2 emissions. 70,000 participants from all over the world will fly to Expo City Dubai.
"Crazy exciting week over here in Dubai in preparations for COP28 UAE. Four days of Climate Conscious Catering Workshops. Focusing on Catering that is eco-friendly, nutritious, delicious and affordable", writes Sarah Sommerauer on LinkedIn from the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in October. Sarah Sommerauer is a sustainable events expert, founder of the sustainable events club DACH and currently COP28 Sustainability Manager for the Dubai World Trade Centre.
In Dubai, she is at the cooker with chefs such as Justin Alexander Horne, Eco Chef, Regenerative Food Systems Advocate and Circular Economy Thinker from England, and Christian Abegan, Chef cuisinier and Directeur événementiel from Africa. They are part of the Chefs Manifesto, a network of 1,200+ chefs who cook in line with Sustainable Development Goals 2 „Zero Hunger“. In the workshop, they will learn more about nutrition for tasting participants at events and about platforms such as Nutritics, which can be used to track menu data such as the carbon footprint.
The UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment is supporting the sustainable workshop series as the United Arab Emirates hosts the UN Climate Change Conference der United Nations, COP28 UAE, from 30 November to 12 December in Dubai. As at last year's COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, the major goal is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and halve CO2 emissions by 2030. This was agreed by the UN at the COP21 climate summit in Paris seven years ago.
"To remain on target, science tells us that emissions must be halved by 2030. We only have another seven years to meet that goal. COP28 UAE is a prime opportunity to rethink, reboot, and refocus the climate agenda," says His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber. The President-Designate for COP28 UAE has been present in Paris as well as at ten other climate summits. He is the first CEO to become President of the climate conference. However, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is not only Managing Director of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, but also Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Group MD and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar.
In preparation for the climate conference, Sarah Sommerauer (right) is working as COP28 Sustainability Manager for the Dubai World Trade Centre. In Dubai, she meets Sustainability Manager Ingrid Garzón (left) and Carbon Tracking Coordinator Namarig Abdalla, both from the Identity agency. Photo: Sarah Sommerauer
“Working with the UNFCCC Executive Secretary alongside the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion and the UAE Youth Climate Champion, I will strive to build consensus amongst parties to drive climate action. Together, we will prioritize efforts to accelerate emissions reductions through a pragmatic energy transition, reform land use, and transform food systems. We will work to mobilize solutions for vulnerable countries, operationalize loss and damage, and deliver the most inclusive conference possible.”
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President-Designate for COP28 UAE
The motto "Unite.Act.Deliver."
COP28 UAE with the motto "Unite.Act.Deliver." brings together almost 200 countries at a crucial time: It is half-time for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which all member states of the United Nations adopted in 2015. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 13 Climate Action, take centre stage. In Dubai, the global community's progress in achieving these goals will be assessed and an initial review of the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement will be carried out.
According to the synthesis report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from March, the global surface temperature in the years 2011 to 2020 is 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than in the years 1850 to 1900, before industrialisation. According to the report, climate change has accelerated and will continue to accelerate. This increases the likelihood of exceeding the global warming target of 1.5°C in the long term, but meeting the 1.5-degree target is still possible, according to the IPCC, provided emissions are reduced quickly and significantly.
The energy sector plays a major role here, as the investments here are higher than those in climate protection and adaptation. According to IPCC calculations, the latter would have to increase by a factor of three to six between 2020 and 2030 in order to stay within the 2°C degree warming limit. The COP28 Council Presidency is therefore focussing on four topics:
- accelerating the energy transition and reducing emissions before 2030;
- reshaping climate financing by creating a new financing agreement and honouring old financing promises;
- focussing on nature, people and life in all climate measures;
- mobilising for the most inclusive COP ever.
The "UAE Net Zero 2050" initiative
By hosting COP28, the United Arab Emirates wants to showcase its efforts in climate protection and sustainable economic development. Like the European Union, the "UAE Net Zero 2050” strategic initiative strives for net-zero emissions by 2050, making the Emirates the first Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nation to do so.
Take Dubai, for example: the emirate aims to generate 100 per cent of its energy from clean energy sources by 2050 and has formulated this goal in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050, for which Dubai is investing 13.7 billion euros in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Realised by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the solar park is expected to reach a production capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030 and save more than 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year once it is fully completed.
"Dubai will play a pivotal role in preparing long-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gases," emphasises Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment. For him, the upcoming climate conference is an important milestone on the city's and the United Arab Emirates' path to sustainability. "It shows our commitment to not only achieving our own goals, but also providing a platform for the global community to come together and find a way forward."
COP28 UAE is taking place on the former site of the Expo 2020 world exposition. Today's Expo City Dubai uses more than 80 per cent of the Expo infrastructure and pavilions such as "Terra". Photo: Expo City Dubai
COP28 UAE is taking place on the former site of the Expo 2020 world exposition. Today's Expo City Dubai uses more than 80 per cent of the Expo infrastructure and pavilions such as "Terra". Photo: Expo City Dubai
The venue: Expo City Dubai
COP28 UAE is being held at Expo City Dubai, the former 440-hectare site of the Expo 2020 World Exhibition. Today's Expo City Dubai uses more than 80 per cent of the Expo infrastructure, such as the Terra themed pavilion. "Terra is more than a venue, more than a museum – it is the beating heart of Expo City Dubai's sustainable journey. A living laboratory of best-in-class sustainable architecture and the home of thought-provoking exhibitions, green education programming, and events, its mission – inside and out – is to put the planet at the forefront of everyone's thinking through igniting inspiration and action," describes the after-use Marjan Faraidooni, Chief of Education and Culture, Expo City Dubai.
More than 120 ecologically certified buildings stand for the sustainable architecture of the new city district, intelligent measuring systems, so-called smart meters, show the energy and resource consumption of the neighbourhood and control the systems for electricity, light, water and air conditioning. "Expo City Dubai has now developed into a flourishing new district with a wide range of business, hotel and residential offers," reports Ahmed Al Khaja. The car-free area is home to parks, green spaces and cycle paths, hotels and restaurants, appartements, shops, malls and offices. The complex includes the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), which opened for Expo 2020. Managed by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), it offers several halls, an auditorium and a theatre on 45,000 square metres as the main location for COP28 UAE.
Many of the negotiations for COP28 UAE will take place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC). The congress and exhibition centre opened for the Expo 2020 world exhibition. Photo: Expo City Dubai
The concept: Blue Zone and Green Zone
As in the previous year, COP28 UAE in Dubai will have two zones: The Blue Zone is a UNFCCC-managed site, open to accredited party and observer delegates, 198 Parties (negotiators from 197 States and the EU), Observers (NGOs, IGOs, UN Agencies), Media and World leaders. It hosts the formal negotiations across the two weeks of the conference, as well as the World Climate Action Summit, the country pavilions, presidency events and hundreds of side events including panel discussions, round tables, and cultural events. The Green Zone is a platform to promote dialogue and awareness about climate action and is open to non-accredited delegates, including youth groups, civil society, NGOs, the private sector, indigenous groups and the general public. The COP28 UAE thematic program is designed to unite a diverse range of stakeholders and topics; from climate, energy and industry, to food, agriculture, and water, to youth, children, education, and skills.
The COP28 thematic program is designed to unite a diverse range of stakeholders. Two-week agenda
- 30 November: Opening
- 1 December: World Climate Action Summit
- 2 December: World Climate Action Summit
- 3 December: Health/Relief, Recovery, and Peace
- 4 December: Finance/Trade/Gender Equality/Accountability
- 5 December: Energy and Industry / Just Transition / Indigenous Peoples
- 6 December: Multilevel Action, Urbanization, and Built Environment/Transport
- 7 December: Rest Day
- 8 December: Youth, Children, Education, and Skills
- 9 December: Nature, Land Use, and Oceans
- 10 December: Food, Agriculture, and Water
- 11 - 12 December: Final Negotiations
The organisers are expecting 70,000 participants. They will reach Expo City Dubai via Abu Dhabi International Airport or Dubai International Airport. The Lufthansa Group is making them a special offer: from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium, they can take advantage of a special fare with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines that includes 100 per cent compensation for flight-related CO2 emissions using sustainable aviation fuel. The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection targets: The airline wants to have a neutral CO2 balance by 2050 and halve its net CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2019. Lufthansa is thus fully in line with the climate summit.