The COP28 climate conference is being hosted by oil-rich UAE.

Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the annual meeting of the 197 nations that are parties to the conference. Founded in 1992, it is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Nov. 30 - Dec. 12 this year. This is the organization that produced the Kyoto Accords and the Paris Agreement. The US was a signatory but then withdrew.

The one photo that I saw of it looked like a World’s Fair, with exhibits, etc. Access to the grounds is extremely limited, and it was shut down temporarily on Dec. 7. There are 80 buildings, sponsored by various organizations, in which presentations are made and exhibits set up. When the press writes about people talking, that’s what they mean. Of course, there are opportunities for discussion and interaction. The United States is represented by 24 agencies and/or departments.

I’ve seen very little actual reporting from the conference with lots of summaries and commentaries, most of which are pretty snide. Access for most journalists appears to be limited to press conferences. A lot of criticism is due to the UAE being one of the world’s largest producers of oil and gas. Activists say at least say that nations are talking about the climate crisis, which they ignored or denigrated for decades. Getting meaningful response to the scale of the problem IS the problem.

The big issue, of course, is the need to reduce petroleum products, which are some of the major polluters. The politics involve the huge needs for funds, the distribution of the limited funds, and the lack of follow-up by countries that have made previous commitments in actions and money.

The oil and gas industry claimed that people were just “crying wolf” and there was not a scientific basis to the theories about climate change. The president of the conference opened with a similar claim.

Simply trying to measure the stupendous number of variables associated with the five critical systems is a complex problem that requires super computers. The Global Tipping Points report summarizes it in one visual. Thanks to Laurie Garrett’s post on X for showing it. She also has offered excellent coverage of the conference.

Protesters in Europe have been much more active than in the US, primarily with young people. They understand the consequences that lack of action will mean for them and the world in which they will live. Some debate whether we already have gone too far down the line when we may be able to recover from the damage already that has been done. Arguments produce little response in terms of action, while only adding to the hot air.

The United States always has been slow to react to any type of crisis; we saw that in the world wars. Some areas of the globe already have become uninhabitable. The question is when will “too late” really be too late?

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