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Ahead of COP28, discussions around carbon removal emerged in the context of Article 6.4. Carbon removals refer to engineered or natural processes that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. With continued discussions at the 58th session of the SBSTA and pre-COP28 technical events, guidance on carbon removals under Article 6.4 was included in the recommendations. Despite the hopes adopting it at COP28, agreements on rules for carbon credits via removals were not made in Dubai.
Read MoreAs a student of climate policy with an interest in adaptation and finance, at the COP I was most curious to see how the conversation on financing adaptation is developing—within academic circles, multilateral development banks, and the private sector, whose need for increased participation in financing adaptation is widely recognized and demanded.
Read MoreWhile the experience of COP was simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting, it was also impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. Expo City was an impeccable venue that ran like a machine. But the mechanisms that made for a nearly seamless user experience were well-oiled by the extraction of fossil fuels that are killing our planet and are in large part responsible for us needing to have a conference of the parties in the first place.
Read MoreComing into the second week of COP28 in Dubai, I was advised to temper my expectations for progress towards consensus from negotiations in the two areas I was most interested in observing: climate adaptation and loss and damage. However, one theme that was especially popular this year was nature-based solutions and the concept of “blue carbon,” which promotes the role of coastal and ocean ecosystems in increasing the resilience of onshore communities, as well as protecting and building carbon sinks for the purpose of mitigating net greenhouse gas emissions.
Read MoreWhat is the day in the life at COP28? Mieke van der Wansem takes you through a typical day filled with events, meetings, and meals at COP28 in Dubai.
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