Between 30th November and 12th December 2023, the most important event in climate change cooperation – COP 28 (28th Conferences of the Parties) [1] – was taking place in Dubai. During it, delegates from the 198 parties of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) were discussing how to tackle the climate crisis.
The origins of the COP and the UNFCCC
The Conferences of Parties are annual international climate summits that review the implementation of the United Nations Convention. The first of these took place as early as 1992, when the UNFCCC convention was signed, and since 1995, members have met annually [2].
COP 28
This year’s conference aimed to review progress on implementation since the Paris Agreements, signed in 2015 in France, in which UNFCCC members committed to:
- halt the increase in global average temperature below 2°C relative to pre-industrial levels and strive for no more than 1.5°C;
- adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change, strengthening resilience and low-carbon development in a way that does not reduce food production;
- to consider the compatibility of financial sector action with climate objectives [3].
Polish delegation
Poland was represented at the COP 28 summit by President Andrzej Duda and Climate and Environment Minister Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska [4]. As chairman of the European Commission ENVE (The Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy), Rafał Trzaskowski was also attending COP 28, simultaneously representing the City of Warsaw [5]. The conference organisers anticipate the participation of over 50,000 delegates, 15,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and 1,200 media [6].
The findings of the conference may have proved crucial from the perspective of future years of the Polish economy. As announced, the Polish delegation is expected to support a declaration committing Western countries to increase investment in atomic energy [7].
Bibliography
- COP28, About us, https://www.cop28.com/en/what-is-cop, (accessed 6.12.2023).
- UNFCCC, What is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change?, https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/what-is-the-united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change, (accessed 6.12.2023).
- UNFCCC, Adoption of the Paris Agreement, https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf, (accessed 6.12.2023).
- Gov.pl, Minister Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska at COP28: Investment in nuclear energy an opportunity for RES development in Poland, https://www.gov.pl/web/klimat/minister-anna-lukaszewska-trzeciakowska-na-cop28-inwestycje-w-energie-jadrowa-szansa-dla-rozwoju-oze-w-polsce, (accessed 6.12.2023).
- European Committee of the Regions, EU cities and regions at COP28, https://cor.europa.eu/pl/engage/Pages/EU-cities-and-regions-at-COP28.aspx, (accessed 6.12.2023).
- UNFCCC, COP28, https://unfccc.int/cop28, (accessed 6.12.2023).
- Prezydent.pl, Dubai. COP28 conference with the participation of the President of Poland, https://www.prezydent.pl/aktualnosci/wydarzenia/dubaj-konferencja-cop28-z-udzialem-prezydenta-rp,78063, (accessed 6.12.2023).
Patryk Kukla
