After another COP that went into overtime, we were present at the closing plenary on 13th December to witness the adoption of the revised decision for the first Global Stock Take (GST) of the Paris Agreement.

On 6th December, Earth Matters Consulting, in partnership with Sustain UAE, Blue Forest and Distant Imagery Solutions organised an event as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week’s Special Edition to COP28: SMEs on the Road to Net Zero.

The hot topic at the COP is energy transition and how it will be part of the Global Stock Take (GST).  First of all, it’s important to know what we are attempting to transition from. We have been living in an era of fossil fuels. Whilst this may not be surprising news to most of us, the extent of the climate challenges we face today are direct ramifications of our past actions.

After another busy day at the COP28 with world leaders and various dignitaries, here is what caught our eye. The morning was hastily underway with 118 Governments joining a pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.

What stood out for us on day 2 of the COP. His Majesty King Charles III, stated that "the hope of the world" rests on the conference. HM has been a lifelong environmentalist and was there when the landmark Paris Agreement was signed.

To say that Day 1 of COP28 was eventful, would be an understatement. A lot happened, but here is a recap of what stood out the most for us. The COP28 President, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber has catalysed positive momentum by achieving the first of many milestones at this year's COP.