Our reaction to COP28 outcomes
15 December 2023
Nearly 200 countries attended the COP28 UN climate talks in Dubai which concluded after extra time on 13 December.
Like fellow members of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, we note the shortfalls of the outcome of the talks, and we know that far more could have come out of them; greater commitment to be more ambitious, to move faster, to clarify the details and close the identified loopholes.
But, the text calls for the world to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels and this is significant progress, particularly if we acknowledge the UN negotiation process and need to seek consensus across so many countries, all on different pathways and timescales to net zero.
We all, in the sector, want to see accelerated action to ensure we achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.
It is clear now that it is up to individual countries to commit to their own most ambitious and bold interpretation to keep the target of 1.5 degrees alive. And it is up to us as individuals to ensure that we also do the same and hold our countries to account.
Our Deputy CEO Catherine Gee said: “We acknowledge that a significant proportion of the shift to get us to net zero in the UK requires a fundamental change in our behaviours and how society operates. We believe that now it is time for positive messaging and to support to people to do the right thing.
“There is a place for messaging that highlights the severity of the consequences of climate change, but politically and in the media we need to work hard to celebrate the successes, to shift the narrative from ‘climate change is bad’ to include the positives and opportunities ahead as we embed positive climate action across all aspects of our life.
“We want a Climate Literate Scotland and are committed to working to support people understand the positives impacts a net zero future will have on our economy, our society, our health, our nature, and our planet.”
Our actions, our programmes, training and campaigns will continue with hope and optimism as we focus on what we can do ourselves, to add value to the policy which we had higher expectations for.
While the Scottish Government has shown welcome leadership on the international stage, the anticipated Climate Change Plan, due next year, needs to turn this ambition into real action and find the finances to ensure funding is adequate to deliver a just and fair transition.
