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It is barely a week to go now until the crucial COP28 UN climate talks begin in Dubai, where heads of state, diplomats, environmental activists, monarchs, religious leaders and celebrities will congregate to try and break the logjam on progress toward limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
A string of big names has confirmed their attendance so far, including King Charles III, Bill Gates and Pope Francis, the first time a pontiff has attended the now yearly climate talks. The leaders of China and the United States, the two countries that emit the most greenhouse gasses, have yet to respond to their RSVPs.
Britain’s monarch will be co-hosting an event at COP28 that will see the attendance of hundreds of CEOs, presenting a huge opportunity to galvanize the private sector. Although this COP has been lauded for its “inclusivity” of business, it has also attracted controversy for having the CEO of a state-run oil company overseeing the negotiations.
