Will COP28 be another cop-out?

Hi friend,

COP28 kicks off today under a cloud of controversy.

Leaked documents have revealed that the UAE planned to use climate meetings with other countries to promote deals for its national oil and gas companies. The UAE apparently has its eyes on oil and gas reserves in China, Mozambique, Canada, Australia, and Colombia.

This should come as no surprise. The fact that COP28 is being chaired by the CEO of one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies is arguably the biggest case of greenwashing the world has ever seen. Oil baron Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has been accused of using his position of authority as COP28 chair to get more countries to buy his country’s oil – an accusation he vehemently denied in as many different ways as he could.

It’s like having McDonalds or British American Tobacco overseeing the World Health Organization 🤦🏻‍♀️

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden will not be attending COP28 this year because he is “consumed” by other global crises, like war, which apparently trumps the biggest crisis facing humanity to date. Oh, and he’ll be attending the White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which takes place in the first few days of the summit 🎄

Speaking of not giving a shit, China’s President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will also skip the summit, but that’s not surprising either.

And while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will attend, he’s expected to defend his climate backtracking and wax lyrical about how the UK is “still a world leader” when it comes to the climate. Pffft.

Last year’s COP27 summit was completely underwhelming and we should expect more of the same this year. The usual topics will be on the agenda: carbon emissions, fossil fuel accountability, loss and damage financing, renewable energy, and protesters.

I’ll send a wrap-up of the shenanigans like I did last year, which reminds me that this newsletter is ONE YEAR OLD! I remember covering COP27 in my first newsletter and not really knowing what the hell I was talking about and not really knowing where I was going with this. I still don’t know. I’m still winging it and am so grateful to you for reading my rants and not sending me to your junk box.

Thank you. I appreciate you.

— Tarryn ✌️

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This week's climate and sustainability news worth noting

👏 The European Parliament and EU states have reached an agreement on a new directive that will see jail sentences of up to 10 years for the worst polluters and companies fined up to 5% of their global turnover. In a global first, the notion of ecocide was also added to the list of criminal offences. The agreed law will be formally approved by Parliament in February.

🤦🏻‍♀️ While the EU gets prosecution right, the UK fails miserable. UK PM Rishi Sunak has defended a decision to sentence two oil protesters to jail – one for three years, the other for two – for causing a public nuisance after scaling the Dartford Crossing Bridge after the United Nations said the sentences were “severe”. The activists have been refused permission to challenge their sentence as the government seeks to make an example of them and stop others from even thinking about it. The UN has expressed concern about “the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association” and accused the government of general disregard for human rights concerns.

🔥 The European Union has agreed to a new law that would force the fossil fuel industry to report and reduce methane emissions, find and fix leaks, and limit wasteful venting and flaring.

❌ The EU Parliament has passed a resolution calling for a “tangible phase-out of fossil fuels as soon as possible”, including “halting all new investments in fossil fuel extraction,” and for the parties at COP28 to work on developing a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were a member of the EU Parliament.

😷 Speaking of holding your breath, new research has found that air pollution particles from coal-fired power plants is more than twice as likely to contribute to premature deaths as particles from other sources. But don’t worry, the richest 1% of humanity that is responsible for more carbon emissions than the poorest 66% will be able to buy themselves out of a health crisis and sip on purified air while the rest of the world suffocates. In fact, it would take about 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99% to produce as much carbon as the richest billionaires do in a year.

👎 Negotiators failed to reach an agreement on a global plastics treaty after a third round of talks concluded last week. Although there was growing support for measures to address harmful chemicals that are commonly added to plastics, negotiators could not come up with a formal work plan. The next round of talks will happen in five months.

🛫 Virgin Atlantic has achieved a world-first: flying a plane across the Atlantic Ocean without using fossil fuels. The test flight from London to New York was powered by sustainable aviation fuel made from waste fats and plant sugars that emits 70% less carbon than petroleum-based jet fuel.

🛢️ Over 1 million gallons of crude oil as leaked into the Gulf of Mexico near a pipeline off the coast of Louisiana, posing a threat to endangered and threatened species.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland has proposed a ban on all fossil-based heating for buildings by 2045, when the country aims to achieve net-zero emissions.

And in business news

📣 More than 100 businesses including Unilever, Danone, and Ikea have urged European policymakers to approve the EU’s Nature Restoration Law. The Law proposes that restoration measures are to be implemented on at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and repair all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The Corporate Leaders Group Europe (CLG Europe) says 60% of Euronext-listed companies have a “high or moderate” dependency on nature, putting trillions of market value at risk.  If adopted, it will mark the first time that the bloc has legally-binding targets to reverse biodiversity loss.

Well, that's interesting

Scientists conducted an experiment to highlight the potential risks deep-sea mining poses to fragile marine life. They exposed helmet jellyfish, chosen for their global distribution, to conditions that simulated mining-induced sediment plumes.

The jellyfish showed high sensitivity to these conditions, producing excessive protective mucus when coated in sediment and showed signs of acute stress, including gene activation related to wound healing. This response uses a lot of energy that would normally have been used for feeding or movement.

One small thing you can do

Pay attention to what’s happening at COP28.

Big decisions will be made at the summit that will affect our futures, livelihoods, and ecosystems.

You don’t need to read every article (I’ll do that), but you shouldn’t live under a rock, either. At least read the headlines. And next week’s newsletter. And the one after that.

Because lots of little actions combined can add up to something remarkable.

I'll leave you on this happy note...

Last week was sneezing seals. This week, it’s snoring seals. You’re welcome.

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