Inclusion and Diversity for Climate Progress

SHE Changes Climate Co-Director Elise Buckle spoke to Sky News Arabia Correspondent Eslam Elsharnoby about our vision for COP28 and the recently publicised COP28 decision texts. The text below is an overview of the article, which was originally published in Arabic.

SCC Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on 8 December at The Women’s Pavillion at Expo City Dubai / COP28

This COP has been the COP of the energy future. We have also been demonstrating the importance of women leadership, as well as transparent and authentic multi stakeholder dialogues to build trust and balance for the Earth.

 In 28 years of climate negotiations, we have never seen such a level of public mobilization for the phase out of fossil fuels and the shift towards clean energy access for all. As women leaders, we have been strongly united for climate ambition. Our call to phase out fossil fuels has been echoed by Mary Robinson, Hindou Ibrahim, Halla Tomasdottir, Maria Fernanda Espinosa as well as many other active climate leaders from around the world, ranging from the UN, governments, private sector and civil society.

Together we are growing the women-led movement for climate justice, championed by Project Dandelion, SHE Changes Climate and many other organizations.

The COP28 decision texts that have been tabled show some clear progress for gender equality, women's empowerment, and inclusion and diversity as key principles for meaningful participation and better decision-making on loss and damage and climate finance.

We have been very concerned about the lack of ambition of the latest text of the Global Stock Take but feel relieved that the new version is slightly better with a  commitment to transition away from fossil fuels in this decade in line with climate science and the 1.5 degree target set by the Paris Agreement.

It is now important to mobilize all sources of climate finance to implement and support a just energy transition for all, leaving no one behind. Now is the time to act to safeguard a liveable future for generations to come. We must work as One team for One planet, as One family for One Earth. There is no time for division, we can only succeed if we are united, and if we make much more progress from COP28 in Dubai towards COP30 in Brazil, to deliver triple win opportunities for climate, people and nature.