On the United Nations’ official website for this month’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai [pictured], about four hours by plane from Gaza, the countdown is underway.
At about the time this column was published, the official UN wait time for the opening of COP28 would have been 28 days, 12 hours, 39 minutes, and 12 seconds. That’s not much time to overcome the current collapsing state of climate policy around the world. [emphasis, links added]
The reasons for policy turmoil are at once global, national, and local across a range of developments and complications. They include the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, national policy meltdowns over carbon taxes, and major issues related to technology, science, and economics.
On Monday in Dubai, the head of the COP28 event — United Arab Emirates Industry Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber — called for international cooperation and compromise in the face of growing political and economic divisions over the UN plan to phase out the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas.
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