By Kathleen Biggins
Our initial experiences at COP have been surprising and exhilarating. Given the widespread cynicism and concern about a petroleum state hosting a summit on climate change, we were prepared for a sense of âgoing through the motions,â greenwashed, lackluster proposals or outright stalling. But the feeling on the ground is much more purposeful and optimistic than that. The tone was set by the signs in the airport and along the highways exhorting bold action, and reinforced by summit president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is an engineer, politician, and the head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. He reminded those of us in the audience that the 1.5°C limit to temperature increases is still attainable and is the ânorth starâ guiding the talks.
That sense of purpose and action was also reinforced on day one by a major agreement for $420M for the loss and damage fund to provide help in areas suffering from climate impacts.
In speaking with veteran COP attendees, several said there is indeed a different âfeelâ this year â a healthier blend of pragmatism and hope â and that real accomplishments could be achieved, in part because of Al Jaberâs experience and approach.
We will see what unfolds.
But we felt more hopeful than we have in a long time. Seeing world leaders acknowledge the scope of the problem and focus on solutions â and being surrounded by people from around the world who are as concerned as we are about climate change and are taking action in their home countries â definitely inspires us.
