The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 opened, with an emphatic plea to expedite global climate action. The meeting is held during what is already predicted to be the warmest year in human history and as the effects of the climate catastrophe wreak unimaginable devastation on people’s lives and means of subsistence all over the globe.
COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 30 November to 12 December 2023, is a critical time to act on climate pledges and avert the worst effects of climate change. This year’s president of the UAE, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, will lead the country at COP28.
What is COP28?
To create a worldwide response to the climate catastrophe, world leaders have convened practically yearly for the last thirty years. Every nation is required by treaty to prevent hazardous climate change and develop fair solutions to decrease greenhouse gas emissions internationally. This is the case with the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Key messages
- 2023 set to be warmest year on record
- Greenhouse gas levels continue to increase
- Record sea surface temperatures and sea level rise
- Record low Antarctic sea ice
- Extreme weather causes death and devastation
IMO will participate in the conference to showcase its commitment to reduce GHG emissions from shipping and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
IMO’s objectives for COP 28
IMO’s main objectives for the Dubai Climate Change Conference (COP 28) are, in all communications, to seek to make clear that:
- international shipping is indispensable to the world and is a vital industry to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the global energy transition; and
- as its track record to date so clearly demonstrates, including through the adoption of the 2023 IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships in July 2023, IMO is the appropriate international body to continue work to address GHG emissions from ships engaged in international trade.
Furthermore, BIMCO’s Niko Schües, David Loosley and Lars Robert Pedersen will be taking part in discussions and raising awareness of shipping’s role in the fight against climate change. The COP provides an arena for all stakeholders to be involved in climate discussions. While the UNFCCC does not cover international shipping, we realise that in order to make the aspirations of reaching net zero carbon by 2050 a reality, the whole shipping community needs to collaborate more widely.
At COP28, BIMCO will share the latest initiatives and strategies to address climate change within the maritime industry, hosting an official side event on the vital role of shipping in reducing global GHG emissions and contributing to the circular economy. Three senior BIMCO people will be in Dubai: President Niko Schuës, Secretary General and CEO David Loosley and Deputy Secretary General Lars Robert Pedersen.
Niko Schües will be speaking at two significant events during COP28:
Firstly, he will share his insights at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) event, a renowned gathering that is set to be one of the most anticipated maritime events at COP28. Secondly, he will lend his voice to the Ocean High-Level Event Powering Ocean Breakthroughs with 100% Sustainable Ocean Management and will discuss the link between decarbonisation and biodiversity, reinforcing the need for sustainable ocean management.
