Day 1: First Impressions

by Prof. Roopali Phadke

Our first day at COP28 in Dubai was full of wonder. The bright and intentionally designed venue at Expo City wowed us. 

After riding the Dubai metro to the EXPO 2020 station, we were meet by cheerful COP staff directing us toward an efficient badging system. We entered the venue, found our free metro cards and filled our new bottles at an artfully designed water filling station. We all remarked at how the modern space combined local motifs with breezy meeting spaces.  We explored the country pavilions and blue and green zone meeting spaces to get our bearings for our week at COP.

Even on this first day, we met delegates from all over the world, including New Zealand, India and Morocco. Some were serving on their country's official party delegations, while others came from philanthropy, NGOs and business. We also met many Minnesotans -- from Hamline, the University of Minnesota and St. Benedict's College.  

Our first impressions are that we are overwhelmed by the scale of the venue, all the competing side events, and the potential to learn so much at every turn. While environmnentalism in the U.S. often feels white-led and elitist, at COP28 we see climate justice concerns driving people to unite for change from literally every corner of the globe. 

We remain hopeful while also keeping a critical eye to the potential for greenwashing. We arrived at the airport to flashy advertisements promoting climate care from banks, corporations and energy utilities.  We remain skeptical about what it will mean to host COP in an oil state.

Today leaders announced operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund, a program thirty years in the making to support developing countries.  We look forward to what tomorrow brings.