Michal Fidler, director of Intelligentsia International Inc., and Dr. John Capece, director of Campus Climate Corps, created the following photo essay on the 28th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
The 28th annual United Nations Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) wrapped up on Dec. 13 in the petrostate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The lifestyle excesses afforded the people of this small nation by the production and sale of oil and natural gas are apparent even before one arrives in the country. Sharing airline seats with prized falcons barely raised an eyebrow among the Air Arabia passengers and crew. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) Only 11% of the nation’s 9.5 million inhabitants are actual citizens of the UAE. The rest are guest workers, segregated into a working-class mostly from Asia and Africa and a professional class from seemingly every nation on the planet, including the USA. The people at both levels, many of them single men separated from their families, seem appreciative of their opportunities in the UAE and compare the national atmosphere favorably to that in many other global cities that depend on foreign workers. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) Dubai is the UAE city of 2.5 million hosting COP28. Its beaches are those of the Straits of Hormuz, a conflict-prone choke point for much of the world’s oil leaving Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Iran. Iran is nearer to Dubai than Havana is to Key West. Dubai resembles Miami in its wealth and multiculturalism. It, like Miami, is a commercial and recreation magnate for nations near and far. Dubai is nothing if not shiny, with its towers springing up like mushrooms after a rain of oil dollars The city boasts the world’s tallest building, with a shockingly stylish mall at its base populated by seemingly every single global top brand store serving young, stylish customers who stroll the corridors alongside conservative Muslim women draped in black burkas. The city is served by a first-class public transit system, but its highway traffic is as congested as any large city. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) The venue for COP28 was the sprawling Expo City complex of more than 100 medium-sized buildings and several large plenary halls. The Emiratee hosts were apparent and prominent in their traditional, immaculate white garb and impeccably groomed black mustaches and beards. It was clear who was hosting and who was in charge of this world event. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) At this and the previous global climate conferences, representatives from the developing nations have simultaneously called for reductions in global fossil fuel use while also demanding “loss and damage” funds from wealthier nations. They also defend their right to economic growth using the lowest-cost technologies and energies available to them so they can better support their still rapidly growing populations. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) The overall tone of the event was that of an older, empowered generation paying sincerely felt lip service to the needs of today’s young and future generations, but failing to have the power to set into motion the bold action necessary to salvage a future. Attendance estimates range from 70,000 to 80,000, which made COP28 more than double the size of last year’s gathering in Egypt. Each year, COP attracts a greater number of officials, activists, lobbyists and conference tourists. The growth accommodates a growing proportion of young people. However, scientists from some national delegations have said that far too many of their country’s badge holders bring no climate or solutions credentials or any professional development purpose to the gathering. Their admission badges are merely a prize of privilege. One can hope that the growing demand for conference admission reflects a greater demand for climate action. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) Alongside the official negotiation sessions of the national representatives, the COP “Blue Zone” includes more than 200 pavilions hosted by nations, regional groups, nonprofit organizations and corporations. Most of these host presentation sessions and technical exhibits. What results is that at any given moment during the 13 days of COP, an attendee has the choice of perhaps 300 separate activities, including those in the publicly accessible “Green Zone” and several other venues outside the 1,000-acre Expo City venue. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) The U.S. government had a significant presence that included members of Congress from both parties and a range of cabinet secretaries and agency staff. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is most prominent among the Florida delegation. At the same time, from the U.S. Senate, Ed Markey of Massachusetts (author of the Green New Deal legislation) is perhaps the most strident advocate for climate action. More than any other member of Congress, Markey wandered the pavilions, talking with as many COP attendees as time permits between work sessions. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) While previous U.N. climate conferences held in democratic European nations generated public rallies attended by hundreds of thousands, the events in UAE this year and Egypt last year permitted no such public engagement. Nevertheless, COP28 Blue Zone attendees organized a protest march that dominated one afternoon of the conference. Along with colorful banners and passionate chants, the activists carried over their heads an oil pipeline in effigy, as if it were being run out of town on a rail. The host oil executives and lobbyists watched, knowing the relative powerlessness of the activists. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) Throughout the conference, officials and advocates attempted to get explicit language included in the final, non-binding agreement calling for the phase-out or at least the phase-down of fossil fuels. This was blocked by Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing OPEC nations, seemingly empowered by the COP28 President, Sultan Al Jaber, who also heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, which ranks just below BP and above ExxonMobil in the scale of their oil and gas production. By the final days of COP28, the strain was beginning to show in the faces, voices and statements of leaders such as U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry and U.N. General Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece)At the end of each day of the conference, the attendees holding U.N. passes awarded to the nonprofit group Intelligentsia International Inc. held a Zoom briefing to inform members of their respective organizations about the events of the day. The team included Dr. John Capece, Dana Freling, Rock Aboujaoude Jr. and photographer Michal Fidler. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) Despite this being its 28th annual climate conference, the U.N. continues to fail to tackle the issue of fossil-fuel emissions, thereby putting the future of humanity in peril. Having attended the U.N. conferences since 2015 in Paris, it became clear to many that the global governance body was structurally incapable of solving the problem. However, the U.N. is an essential facilitator of solutions, those achieved collectively and those led by individual nations, corporations and civil society using the range of existing technologies and new scientific developments. Perhaps the most critical need is to drive down the costs of clean energy sources. This would dislodge fossil fuel from its dominance of the global human economy, regardless of government action or inaction. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece) The November 2024 venue of COP29 will be Azerbaijan, another petrostate like the UAE. While Bulgaria, Romania and Czechia each expressed interest in hosting, their bids were undermined by the U.N. requirement that all climate conference decisions be unanimous. Thus, Russia was able to block the selection of any European Union nation as host for the 2024 conference. Azerbaijan and its capital of Baku is one of the oldest oil-producing regions of the world. (Photo by Michal Fidler, text by John Capece)
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