Reining in fossil fuels and carbon emissions are expected to be topping the agenda of the 13-day summit (November 30 to December 12). International funding to help countries adapt to climate change will also be hotly debated as developing countries have been demanding more contributions from the industrialised nations.

An ambitious loss and damages fund agreed last year to support poorer nations to help manage the negative effects of climate change has yet to be put into place. World leaders agreed to the fund after COP27 last year, but they have failed to reach consensus on the most important questions of all – which states will pay into it and how much.

Countries will also face the first review of their progress towards the Paris Agreement, a landmark international treaty on limiting carbon emissions that was signed at the COP21, almost eight years ago.

Although the UAE was the first Middle Eastern country to ratify the agreement, people are deeply divided over hosting the summit in a nation that has been termed as part of the problem for its reliance on fossil fuels, which account for more than 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Some are now also criticising the inclusion of oil and gas-linked representatives in such summits at all.

As the debate around COP28 and its impact continues, here’s what to know about this year’s conference and what makes it significant.

What, when, where is COP28?

COP is the primary decision-making body of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), established in 1992.

Representatives of 197 countries who have signed or are “parties” to the UNFCCC will participate primarily through debates and negotiations.

COP28 will begin on November 30 and continue for almost two weeks, while the exact schedule for each day will be published a night prior. Pre-sessions for the conference began on November 24.

The conference will be held at Expo City in Dubai, UAE.

Why is COP28 important?

The COP28 will take place in the shadows of devastating floods and heatwaves, fierce wildfires and the Earth’s hottest summer on record this year.

The event is considered an opportunity for countries to better rein in climate change by devising improved targets and measures through tools such as finance, technology and capacity-building.

The conference comes weeks after a UN report said greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a record high in 2022. Based on countries’ current climate plans, the report says, global carbon emissions by 2030 will be cut by only two percent compared with 2019 levels, far short of the 43 percent fall needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial levels.

Although the 1.5 degree Celsius target became binding in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the goal was first adopted after COP16, more than a decade ago.

A report from the World Meteorological Organization in May also found that with current trends, the world may temporarily breach the 1.5 degrees Celsius target in 2027.

As states scramble to catch up before climate change risks spike further, they will not be immune to crises around the world.

“For years parties have been struggling to agree to a fossil fuel phase-out, and the challenge to reach an agreement was made worse by the fiscal crises precipitated by the pandemic and energy crisis following the war in Ukraine,” said Olivia Rumble, director of Climate Legal in South Africa.

What is the agenda and theme for COP28 in Dubai?

A primary objective of COP each year is to review and calibrate the implementation of the UNFCCC terms, Paris Agreement, and Kyoto Protocol, a binding treaty agreed in 1997 for industrialised nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This year, member states will negotiate while facing their first Global Stocktake (GST) – a scorecard analysing countries’ progress towards the Paris Agreement – so they can adapt their next climate action plans which are due in 2025.

“Countries will be hard-pressed to make concessions to agree on the principal reasons for historic failures and what they believe needs to be done going forward to make meaningful progress on the agreement’s goals,” said Rumble.

Parties will also seek to operationalise the loss and damages fund after developing nations proposed in September that developed countries should disperse at least $100bn to them by 2030.

Additionally, this year’s presidency has set four themes to be at the forefront of the summit:

• Fast-tracking the energy transition: revolves around renewable energy, and food and agricultural systems.
• Fixing climate finance: aims to prioritise the Global South in adaptation finance and help vulnerable communities rebuild after climate disasters, among other targets.
• Nature, people, lives, and livelihoods: geared towards food systems, nature-based solutions, and protecting against extreme weather events and biodiversity loss.
• Inclusivity in climate management: includes youth involvement and improved communication between different sectors and agencies.

However, focusing on specific themes such as financing strategies must also be accompanied by a revamping of global structures to be effective across the world.

While this year’s climate financing agenda aims to better support developing nations with emergency funding, such mechanisms currently lack effective needs analysis and involve the inefficient distribution of funds. High debts imposed on such countries through global financing structures also reduce their ability to invest in the maintenance of climate projects.

“They [renewable energy and energy efficiency] will mean little to African countries without significant reforms to the global financial architecture to make these targets achievable. This includes revising risk ratings and perception of investment risk in Africa,” said Rumble.

Who will and will not attend COP28 in Dubai?

More than 140 heads of state, senior government leaders and at least 70,000 participants are expected to attend COP28.

Some of the notable figures who have confirmed their attendance so far include:

• Britain’s King Charles III, who will also deliver an address at the opening ceremony
• Rishi Sunak, prime minister of the United Kingdom
• Pope Francis of the Catholic Church
• Humza Yousaf, first minister of Scotland
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

US President Joe Biden is not expected to attend but the country will be represented by top officials such as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.

The summit will be divided into a “blue zone” with sessions for UN-accredited participants such as state representatives only, and a “green zone” with events and exhibits for registered participants from the public and civil society.

What are the controversies around COP28?

Disapproval of COP28’s choice of president is at the forefront of conference controversies this year.

Sultan al-Jaber, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, has been tasked with changing the world’s climate course while the company he heads is one of the world’s largest oil producers.

“Metaphorically speaking, we let a mosquito lead the fight against malaria. It’s a stab in the back for communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis,” Kenyan climate activist Eric Njuguna said at the Bonn Climate Change Conference in June.

Njuguna also called the “legitimacy” of the UNFCCC into question for involving the fossil fuel industry in its discussions and failing to generate sufficient progress towards the 1.5-degree goal.

Climate advocates have also contested hosting the event in a country built on fossil fuel wealth. As the world’s seventh largest liquid-fuel producer, the UAE and its government continue to rely on oil and gas profits for revenue.

Those looking to attend also have the country’s human rights record on their mind.

In September, more than 200 civil society organisations, including Amnesty International, wrote an open letter to the UAE government to follow certain demands in the lead-up to COP28. On top of calling for labour reforms, and abandoning plans to step up oil and gas production, the letter demanded that the UAE refrain from surveilling COP28 attendees.

The country also bars protests but has said it will allow environmental activists to “assemble peacefully” in a statement published in August.