OTTAWA/TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE — Ecojustice, Canada’s largest environmental law charity, will be attending COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the United Nations’ annual summit to coordinate climate action and review progress made by nations (including Canada) toward fulfilling their climate commitments.
Two spokespeople from Ecojustice will be available to provide an overview of proceedings at COP28:
- Alan Andrews, Ecojustice climate program director
- Melanie Snow, Ecojustice federal legislative affairs specialist
Alan and Melanie are available to speak to a range of climate issues on which we want to see Canadian leadership, including:
- Aligning the flow of capital with the goals of the Paris Agreement
- Phasing out all fossil fuels, including through the “Powering Past Coal Alliance”
- As part of the global stocktake, coming forward with a strengthened plan to achieve its current target, and committing to a stronger target that aligns with science and justice
- Climate accountability and litigation
- Tackling greenwashing
Overview:
COP28 takes place in the background of extreme climate events in Canada, and around the world, that demand all governments take the action needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
It will feature the first global stocktake of global climate action since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. This will require all countries to engage in an honest, open, and trusting dialogue that finds solutions to an existential threat to all people.
Canada has never achieved an emissions target and is one of the world’s top carbon polluters, second only to Saudi Arabia when it comes to carbon emissions per person. It is also one of the world’s largest exporters of the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis.
The latest UN report warned that the world has failed to act and is on course for a catastrophic near 3 degrees Celsius average temperature rise. At the same time, Canada is failing to address a key root of the climate crisis, the continued flow of Canadian capital towards fossil fuel development and extraction. The result is that we are falling behind other leading jurisdictions when it comes to regulating the interrelated financial and climate crises.
Ecojustice is going to COP28 to join a global movement to keep the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius alive by making sure that countries like Canada deliver on their promise to the world to tackle the carbon pollution that is driving climate change.
COP28 presents the opportunity for western countries to rebuild trust and reach a justice-informed agreement to help the global south mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. This means countries like Canada will need to implement rules to stop the flow of finance to fossil fuel developments at the same time as fulfil their commitments to assist countries in the global south adapt to climate change and pursue a cleaner pathway to prosperity.
In the midst of interlocking environmental crises, COP28 is an opportunity for Canada to show leadership on the environment and solidarity to people all over the world.