The Urgent Call for Action at COP28 and the Potential of Expo 2030
“Since the beginning of the first Industrial Revolution humanity has released over 1.5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This has caused the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere to rise from the steady state of around 280 ppm for roughly 6,000 years, to over 416 ppm today.”
The world is at a critical juncture in its battle against the impacts that industrial pollution, global warming, and resulting climate change is having on our built environment. As leaders from around the world are set to gather together at COP28 in Dubai, there is a sense of urgency and optimism that ambitious targets and universal strategies will be agreed upon in preparation for the worst-case scenario that climate change presents. This article explores the significance of COP28, the challenges faced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in it transition to a clean energy economy, Expo City Dubai, and the potential of Expo 2030 as the global platform for the acceleration of the next great Industrial Revolution—a global circular economy.
The history of the Conference of the Parties (COP) events dates back to COP1 held in Berlin in 1995. At that time atmospheric CO2 levels were at 360.61 ppm, and were already becoming a cause for concern. COP1 was the first time that global leaders from the world’s nations had come together to discuss climate change and the projected impacts of global warming on the built environment—resulting in the Berlin Mandate, which paved the way for legally binding climate agreements. It also highlighted the importance of collaboration between global governments and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
COP1 began to sound the alarm by drawing attention to compelling new evidence: ice core samples showed that carbon dioxide levels had remained relatively constant at around 280 ppm for nearly 6,000 years before the Industrial Revolution. Today, however, CO2 levels are surging at an unprecedented pace, a geological anomaly.
2023: “Geological evidence has shown that the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were as high as they are today (+416 ppm) was during the Pliocene Epoch, between 2.6 and 5.3 million years ago. At that time, global sea level was significantly higher than it is today, with estimates ranging from 15 to 25 meters.””
COP28 UAE (2023) 416.33ppm
As global leaders convene at COP28 from November 30 to December 12, 2023, hosted at Expo City in Dubai, UAE, we are once again provided with the opportunity for global governments to come together in an attempt to agree on coordinated strategies for reducing global greenhouse emissions, mobilize finance, and to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, has been appointed to serve as COP 28 President-Designate.
The COP28 Presidency has identified four key areas of focus:
- Fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030
- Transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on finance
- Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action
- Mobilizing for the most inclusive COP ever
“Tripling the deployment of renewable power generation and doubling energy efficiency are amongst the most important levers to cut greenhouse gas emissions. I am now calling on everyone to come together, commit to common targets, and take comprehensive domestic and international action, as outlined in this report, to make our ambitions a reality. “~COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber
Let’s take a moment grounded in the every-day life: COP events are off the radar for most people. They are elusive, and exclusive—an elite gathering of delegates from major corporations, NGOs, consultancy firms, and government representatives to deliberate on climate change in an attempt to forge a global alliance and strategy that includes the rapid decoupling of our global economy’s dependance on fossil fuels. A daunting challenge to say the least.
After each COP event, marketers launch a wave of global PR campaigns to communicate the developments to the international community. But despite the optimism these agreements inspire in the minds of parties present and those who are actively engaged in the work, most of the world’s population remains disengaged and unaware. At the same time, the voices of citizens that are deeply concerned are often overlooked, marginalized, and ignored.
It’s easy to get discouraged—the level of change required to respond to the challenges now present in the 21st century are unprecedented in human history, however:
“Reality has a built-in bias towards possibility: the laws of probability suggest that if we can imagine a plan of action, we can make it happen.”
We must find a way to work together!
THE NUTS & BOLTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION & MITIGATION
While fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, and the use and disposal of petroleum-based consumer goods are the primary contributors to the global pollution crisis and climate change, addressing the driving forces behind the climate crisis requires a rapid transition to clean energy sources and the redesign of virtually everything our modern economy has to offer in an attempt to safeguard Earth ecosystems against the ravages of an industrialized built environment. However, transitioning to a post-carbon economic system is easier said than done.
“The greatest challenge we face today is our collective ability to kick-start a new co-creative economic chain reaction that is both robust and open to change.”
How will the UAE adapt to the economic transformation that rapid decarbonization of the global energy infrastructure requires?
The UAE is one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters, and its economy is heavily reliant on the hydrocarbon sector. As the world transitions to a clean energy economy, the UAE faces significant economic challenges. Looking into the future, one of the greatest challenges that global warming presents to the UAE, beyond the economic disruption that rapid decarbonization will require, is sea-level rise.
“The scenario of one-meter sea level rise would lead to UAE’s loss of 1,155 square kilometers of the country’s coast by 2050. Nine meters of sea level rising would flood almost all of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”
By continually delaying a concerted action on the reduction of global greenhouse emissions, and by kicking the decarbonization can down the road a few more years, the window of opportunity to mitigate the worst-case climate scenarios that global warming presents to the built environment has closed. Now, with our feet now firmly planted in the Anthropocene, our current geological epoch defined by the impact of human activity on the Earth’s climate and environment, adaptation is key!
“The redesign of our built environment to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise, extreme weather events, heat waves, and economic disruptions, is imperative. We must begin this creative process today!”
In response to the disruption that rapid decarbonization presents to the global economy, we hear a lot about the need for a just transition — a term often used in the context of the technological unemployment that results from technological advancement. A just transition is seen as a way to address the potential negative impacts of technological advancement by creating new jobs and opportunities in new sectors, while also providing support to workers and communities that are displaced by the process of Industrial Revolution.
“Adapting to the imacts of climate change will require the redesign of just about everything our modern economy has to offer. This is where the fun begins!
EXPO 2020: CONNECTING MINDS, CREATING THE FUTURE
Building on the past momentum that World Expo’s have had in international development, Expo 2020 Dubai inspired the world to think about the future in new and exciting ways. The Expo’s theme, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” challenged visitors to imagine a better future for all.
Expo City Dubai is now a state-of-the-art destination HUB that builds on the legacy of Expo 2020 to advance sustainability and circularity principles. It is the UAE’s first 15-minute city, and is the first WELL-certified community in the region, making it a global benchmark for healthy communities. Expo City Dubai features a network of walkable and bikeable streets, as well as a public transit system that connects all of the major attractions. Expo City Dubai is home to a variety of businesses, schools, and cultural institutions, ensuring that its residents and visitors have everything they need within a short distance.
Expo City Dubai is part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and aims to become an ideal smart and futuristic city for business and innovation making it the ideal venue to host COP28, and it arrives at a time when the world is facing a number of urgent climate challenges.
The Expo site as a whole was designed to be a model for sustainable urban planning:
WHY EXPO 2030? WHY CIRCULAR CITIES?
As per the IPCC’s recommendations, the global community has a critical six-year window left to halve global greenhouse emissions in an attempt to stabilize Earth’s ecosystems amid an increasingly industrialized world.
“What if” we could facilitate the rapid decarbonization of our shared energy infrastructure, accelerate the global circular economy transition, and begin to regenerated life on Earth via EXPO 2030—a global world fair event?
“What if” we could make this transition fun?
By leveraging the World Fair/Expo 2030 as the catalyst for global adaptation and mitigation measures, we can infuse an element of collective action and cultural identity into the post-carbon economic transition. By embracing Expo 2030, we can make the journey toward sustainability an engaging and enjoyable process, motivating individuals and societies to actively participate in the vital efforts of the adaptation and rewilding measures needed to combat the impaacts of climate change while cultivating a sense of global unity and shared responsibility.
A global circular economy, often referred to as the next great Industrial Revolution, presents the global community with the design challenge of the 21st century. Cities at the forefront of the climate crisis will play a crucial role in accelerating this transformation by cultivating and mainstreaming an economic shift that fundamentally revamps the global economic system.
Circular Cities are the applied logistics of a global circular economy, at scale. A economic system based on three principles:
1 .Design out waste and pollution
2. Keep material flows circulating, indefinitely
3. and, most importantly, Regenerate Earth Ecosystems
Expo 2030 is an opportunity for the global community to unite and explore solutions to humanity’s most pressing challenges. However, after Moscow, Russia, and Odessa, Ukraine, were eliminated due to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, only three cities remain in the running to host: Rome, Italy; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Busan, South Korea. The host city will be announced on November 28th, 2023.
Let’s join the EXPO 2030 celebration, and make EXPO 2030 Earth’s First Global World Fair Event!
To be continued…
FURTHER READING
(2023) COP28 TOPICS:
- Adaptation and resilience
- Capacity-building
- Climate Finance
- Climate Technology
- Cooperative activities and SDGs
- Education & Youth
- Gender
- Global Stocktake
- Innovation
- Land Use
- Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform
- Market and Non-Market Mechanisms
- Mitigation
- Pre-2020 Ambition and Implementation
- Science
- The Ocean
CLIMATE ACTION:
- Introduction to Climate Action
- Action for Climate Empowerment
- Net Zero Recognition and Accountability Framework
- Climate Neutral Now
- Marrakech Partnership
- 2023 UN Global Climate Action Awards
- Sectoral Engagement
- Global Climate Action Portal
- Race To Zero
- Regional Climate Weeks
- Climate Action Blog
- GCA Events
- United Nations Carbon Offset Platform
- It’s possible — Podcast
The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties (Conference of the Parties, COP) to negotiate and agree action on how to tackle climate change, limit emissions and halt global warming. The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are the world’s highest decision-making body on climate issues and one of the largest international meetings in the world.
“In the three decades since the Rio Summit and the launch of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP) has convened member countries every year to determine ambition and responsibilities, and identify and assess climate measures. The 21st session of the COP (COP21) led to the Paris Agreement, which mobilized global collective action to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, and to act to adapt to the already existing effects of climate change.
