Will the priorities and actions be agreed premised on the interconnectedness and interdependence of all nation-states?
The annual Conference of the Parties of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or COP
28 is once again around the corner.
Those who are attending the gathering will be occupied with negotiations
to make meaningful progress to ‘encourage further climate
action, including policies that can lead to technological breakthroughs and
much-needed rules on important technical issues, such as the use of offsets. Whether it succeeds
depends entirely on execution.’
Crucially too, the parties to the UNFCCC this year will finalise a Global
Stock Take which will include a review of national progress in meeting carbon
abatement targets. This will be a key moment and unfortunately is likely to
highlight once again how much faster the world needs to reduce its dependency
on fossil fuels.
While hopeful for the best
outcomes for this COP, experience tells us that these
events generally advance some matters but on others fail to drive the ambition
But we have seen that when push comes
to shove, humankind will cooperate to survive.
Case in point - the recent medical pandemic. The cooperation among the scientists led to
the rapid discovery of scientific knowledge which in turn led to financial
investments and collaboration efforts that saved countless lives. Because humanity
was at risk, the collaboration effort, and the pace this unfolded, and the financial
lengths the entire supply chain went to, are phenomenal - from the scientific
communities to manufacturers to government agencies of almost every nation to
the smallest villages across the world. All of this came at a cost, but it was a
cost we had decided is worth paying as there was a realisation that the human
race is interconnected and interdependent, and that we are as strong as the
weakest link.
The same should hold true with climate
change. The science is clear enough to take action and the risk is profound
enough to demand that we do so. If we want present and future generations to
live healthy, fulfilling, and meaningful lives, then we should be working together
to reduce the risk of harm coming to those generations, our children, and their
children.
I hope the leaders at COP28 will remember that humanity is as strong as its weakest link and will not ignore our fundamental interconnectedness and interdependencies when negotiating on their proposed actions this time. They have a duty of care to which they must commit and to think as a collective – to choose to save lives – including intergeneration ones - and preserve the environment over the forces of short-term financial profit or political expediency. Fulfilling this duty will mean difficult decisions and sacrifice—but shifting the priorities they must.
We survived covid. We may not be so lucky with the next big one. We need to make meaningful progress quick. What will it take before the key actors find consensus and agree to collaborate on priorities and actions premised on the interconnectedness and interdependence of all nation-states on this planet? Is it too much to hope for from this COP?
Bibliography
Chatham House.
(2022, November 20). COP27: What was achieved, and what needs to happen
now. Retrieved from https://www.chathamhouse.org/:
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/11/cop27-what-was-achieved-and-what-needs-happen-now
Heal, G. (2023,
Oct 16). What Can COP28 Achieve? Retrieved from Project Syndicate:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cop28-realistic-expectations-political-pressure-carbon-offsets-by-geoffrey-heal-2023-10
Perell, D. (2023,
October 19). If we don’t align actions with values, our climate goals are
out of reach. Retrieved from Baha'i International Community:
https://www.bic.org/perspectives/if-we-dont-align-actions-values-our-climate-goals-are-out-reach
