All I want for COP is...

As COP28 is underway in Dubai, here at MSQ/Sustain we’re reflecting on what we’re hoping to see come out of this year’s international climate negotiations.  

With record-breaking temperatures and more extreme weather events in 2023, it is ever more urgent to reduce global carbon emissions, and fast. 

We already have the solutions. But implementing them is a bit more complex. 

Individuals, communities, businesses, NGOs, governments... everyone has different priorities - exemplified by our team of ‘sustainers’, who have broad ranging interests and varied ambitions for the outcomes of COP28. 

Richard Armstrong, Partner 

All I want for COP is…. 

Happy clients… no dramas. 
Our work is live across the Blue Zone (just the two pavilions from us this year). While we’ve done all the design, layouts, CAD mock-ups and supplied the files, we are not in charge of implementation and build. Plus, we’re not actually in Dubai! So, my primary hope is it all works, it all looks amazing, and it all inspires greater action from those who are attending. 

A ‘moment’… 
There’s been precious little coming out of COP to whoop about for a while. Have they lost their purpose? While great for the climate community to meet-up, it’s become more of a petro-chemical takeover of late. Do we dare to think they will actually make it a legal requirement to ‘phase-out’ fossil fuels? Let's see... 

Lauren Foskett, Business Director 

What do I hope for from COP28? To remain hopeful for the future. 

We are at the point of desperation and despair about the climate, and nature, crises. But I hope we can turn our anger and anguish into a force of optimism at this year’s climate conference. 

Looking ahead to 2024 (and beyond of course), we need to do far better than the measly 2.5% global rate of decarbonisation we saw in 2023. The solutions exist, we just need to move (quickly) towards applying them, and not leave them in the textbooks (ahem… UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget). 

Particularly, I’d love to see further commitments and action on nature-based solutions. Because we know that nature can provide a third of the emissions reductions needed by 2030. As our campaign for the Nature Positive Coalition says, we need to pick up the pace in this area – our planet cannot afford us not to. Because the climate and nature rely on each other. I’m hopeful that this could be the year that world leaders fully acknowledge the critical role of nature, and start to enforce a shift from promises and pledges, into tangible action. 

(And, of course, seeing the phase out, not down, of fossil fuels whilst in an oil-rich state would be pretty epic…) 

Olli Taylor, Senior Project & Account Manager 

The fact that every government on the planet doesn’t obsessively prioritise 100% of their energy coming from renewable sources has always baffled me. Surely, providing low-cost energy to your citizens, that also helps preserve the livable environment, would be a fantastic political platform to run on? 

That’s why I am happy to see that more than 60 countries, led by the United States, the EU, and the UAE, are due to commit to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency at COP28. I am keen to see this formally agreed. 

Will Railton, Senior Strategist 

My big 6 hopes for COP28 are: 

1. To have the highest levels of environmental and human rights protection written into law, as the climate and nature crises heighten.  

2. A commitment toward more inclusive forms of national democracy, like citizens assemblies on matters of climate.  

3. The loss and damage fund to be operationalised immediately.  

4. Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) ratcheted up in response to the Global Stocktake. And climate laws to be created to ensure Paris Agreement commitments are reached. 

5. National bans on fossil fuel advertising and the involvement of the fossil fuel industry in policy. Plus, the end of fossil fuel subsidies and a phase out of fossil fuels from systems and economies. 

6. Major investments in carbon removals technology research and development, and technologies to rapidly decarbonise all industrial operations. 

Lastly, it would be great if problematic climate solutions were called out at COP, from grey hydrogen to monoculture afforestation, to unproven (and frankly dangerous) artificial geo-engineering. Doing this, alongside removing the sponsorship from and support of major polluters at COP, and the back-room meetings with fossil fuel lobbyists, would give COP its credibility back. There were 636 fossil fuel lobbyists at COP27 - that needs to change. 

If COP28 doesn’t deliver, we need civil society groups, finance, and private sector bodies to recognise the long-term security that sensible climate policy can deliver, the impact and dependency we all have on ecosystem services, and the speed at which a just, green transition must happen. 

Rebecca Daniel, Digital Content & Marketing Manager 

I’d like to see more cross-sector and international collaboration. Over the years, coalitions and partnerships have begun to form to drive collective action on climate and nature. From countries in Latin America joining forces to create international Marine Protected Areas, Lego partnering with WWF to reduce carbon emissions from their supply chain, or the formation of the We Mean Business Coalition. 

We need much more of this. Climate change is a complicated issue, so we need interdisciplinary approaches to solve it. Businesses can provide the funds, NGOs can provide the knowledge, and governments can enforce changes. We need everyone to step up and take responsibility. 

At COP26, the ocean was mentioned for the first time in the final text of the Glasgow Climate Pact. Only after 26 COPs did world leaders recognise the essential role of the ocean in climate change mitigation and adaptation. So we’re a little behind in incorporating the ocean into climate discussions. But the ocean deserves to be recognised and protected. It absorbs more than a quarter of human-caused carbon emissions, and 90% of the excess heat they create. We’re still learning the power the ocean holds – whales can store more than 33 tons of CO2 in their lifetime, but a tree only absorbs around 48 pounds of CO2 a year. At COP28, I’d like to see countries championing solutions that protect our blue planet. 

Leo Williamson, Head of Design 

It's time to stop with the BS. 

It's time to hear the truth and see real action. 

It's time for scientists to be listened to and the world to act upon the measures they have so desperately laid out. 

It's time for world leaders, businesses, organisations to put our nature, our people, our livelihoods and our planet at the heart of action. 

It's time to move from grey to green. 

Let’s accelerate real change. 

And bring back our nature. 

Tolu Dada, Junior Designer 

My environmental interests revolve around how nature affects both our mental and physical health. I’m also intrigued by the power of collective action in making a long-term difference, as well as how new developments in technology can help us improve planetary health. 

With COP28 approaching, I’m most looking forward to learning about the role and development of AI in helping to tackle the climate crisis. Understandably, there’s very mixed emotions about the growing use of AI, with some fearing it taking over, taking jobs or creating ethical issues. So, it would be comforting to know that AI can be a force for good - helping improve sustainability. I’m curious about Google’s developments in this sector, like using TensorFlow to tackle illegal deforestation and Cool Roofs for better urban planning. It would be great to hear about the potential of other tech companies as well, like Apple or Microsoft.  

If you’re interested in the nitty gritty of what specific negotiating blocs and countries want from COP, check out Carbon Briefs interactive table for the full detail on stances on specific topics and issues.