COP 28
One of the most important events happened this week, and it was not Taylor Swift Attending a Kansas City Chiefs game; it was COP 28. For those who do not know what COP 28 is, it is the 28th meeting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. This conference’s goal is to formulate and implement climate solutions between nations. Each successive meeting brings us closer as nations commit to cutting and eventually eliminating greenhouse gas emissions. The meeting has world leaders, scientists, government officials, and business leaders working towards that end.
But first, what is climate change? Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. While this can happen naturally, we know significant increases in greenhouse gases resulting from human activities have sped up this natural process. Climate change can and will make the world uninhabitable for us if we do nothing which is why these conferences are taken so seriously and are so important.
Now that you are up to speed, what can you expect out of this meeting? While Biden and Xi, the US and Chinese leaders, are not attending they have pledged to decrease emissions, multiple state actors, and businesses have upped their emission reduction goals, pledged more funding for green energy development and funding, and some have even decreased their timeline for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
All this is great and shows how serious climate change is, but we can not let this be all talk. Several attendees had disputes over timelines or were vested in delaying the switch to more sustainable resources, we can not wait till COP 50 to make the switch! Stay engaged vote for responsible elected officials, push governments to enact sensible policy and oversight of corporations, and reward companies that align with your values. We can stabilize the climate if we act now!