Dear Readers,

I hope my focus on the Conference of Parties convening in Dubai (COP28) encouraged you to follow some of what was being discussed, debated and decided during this convening of world leaders.

As we near the end of the hottest year on record, some good news for the planet. The COP28 Global Stocktake agreement has been signed, sealed and delivered, and for the first time ever, nearly 200 countries declared that the age of fossil fuels must come to an end.

Realizing that most of us won’t read the entire agreement, I am sharing summaries of what happened and what didn’t from three groups whose leadership was effective in achieving the positive outcomes. Their ongoing advocacy for implementation of the commitments will be necessary for real progress on this journey to secure a climate safe world for everyone.

In an official statement from The Elders, posted by Chair Mary Robinson, they welcome the beginning of the end for fossil fuels, but call for more urgent ambition at future COPs.

Excerpts from COP28: The Elders Statement

The Elders welcome the signal from COP28 that the fossil fuel era must end. But the actions agreed in Dubai are too little, too late. World leaders need more urgent ambition in addressing the existential threat of the climate crisis, and supporting the most vulnerable.

COP28’s call for a transition away from fossil fuels is a historic step. But that transition needs to be rapid and fully funded, cover all sectors, and involve all countries. The science is clear that phasing out all fossil fuels is essential if the global temperature increase is to be limited to 1.5°C. …

We welcome initial pledges to the loss and damage fund, and recognition of the need for innovative sources of finance. The Global Goal on Adaptation requires further targets and timelines for implementation. The countries who need and deserve help responding to the climate crisis should not wait any longer for promised money that never arrives. …
Read the full statement

Last week I shared with you the link to an open letter to the COP28 Leadership Team that called on Sultan Al Jaber and all Parties to deliver a 1.5C aligned outcome in response to the Global Stocktake — because later is too late. I want to recognize and express great gratitude to the hundreds of you who signed that letter and to Team Courage, the new coalition led by Christiana Figueres and Halla Tómasdóttir. Over 8,000 signatories from across business, finance, philanthropy, politics, academia and civil society joined forces to call on world leaders to commit to building a safe world for everyone.

Here’s the Team Courage statement.

Excerpts from Team Courage Statement

As COP28 comes to a close, we have witnessed first hand the power of solidarity in determining the fate of our future. …

We witnessed unparalleled momentum in major sectors transforming faster than we think, and in the words included in the final decision text:

• in a transition away from fossil fuels, including the tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and doubling energy efficiency;

• in finance being delivered for resilience, adaptation and loss and damage;

• in Parties agreeing to ratchet their National Determined Contributions in early 2025.

Perhaps most importantly, we experienced the power of a reinvigorated multilateralism - with a groundswell of regions, sectors and actor types in their thousands standing in solidarity to show their steadfast support for delivering what the science requires.

This gives us hope that the transformation remains unstoppable.

Read the full statement

SHE Changes Climate and partners were on the ground in Dubai to the bitter end of the fractured negotiations and I urge you to learn more about their important work to elevate and activate for greater representation of women leaders at all negotiating and decision making forums.

Excerpts from SHE Changes Climate: COP28 Closing Statement

SHE Changes Climate acknowledges a major agreement as per the decision adopted today at COP28 in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels in this critical decade. Yet we continue to call for a more inclusive process, both at global level and country level.

…Women leaders must now be at the forefront of the just energy transition to ensure clean energy access for all and scaled up financial resources at country level. And so while we acknowledge the inclusion of gender equality, empowerment of women and intergenerational equity in the Global Stock Take decision, as well as in the Just Transition Pathways decision, the text ultimately falls short. …

As a growing women-led movement for climate justice, SHE Changes Climate will continue to unite and act for greater climate ambition and action beyond COP28, in the lead-up to COP29 in Azerbaijan and COP30 in Brazil.

Read the full statement

While there remain differences in assessing the measurement of progress made at COP28, there is a new undeniable solidarity among women leaders to connect our efforts and accelerate our advocacy for more urgent and ambitious policy changes.

And that is the mission of Project Dandelion — to connect, elevate, and support a collective force of women leaders (and, our allies) mobilized to hold all leaders (in business, governments, and civil society) accountable for implementing all of the changes necessary for a climate-safe world.

We believe it’s possible and, like the dandelions on the ground at COP, also unstoppable.

As Mary Robinson tweeted on Wednesday: “Climate action must not cease because the gavel has come down on COP28. World leaders must continue to urgently pull together and find ways forward to tackle this existential threat. Every day of delay condemns millions to an uninhabitable world.”

This is why the time is now for a global unstoppable movement.

In the first few months of the Project Dandelion campaign, we have ignited our ‘network of networks’ for a total reach online of 12.9 million for our COP28 messages calling for urgent action from world leaders. The ambitious goal of this global campaign is to ‘seed’ 2 billion people to become dandelions, to prioritize, to get engaged, to make climate and nature solutions personal, to elevate hope and commit to actions that lead to a more just, equitable, and healthy future. It will take persistence and resilience and heartfelt resolve.

We can do this. Together.

Visit the Project Dandelion website and sign up to get alerts for coming activations.

Onward!

- Pat

P.S. This will be my last newsletter until 2024. I value our connection and greatly appreciate your reading and your responses to the weekly newsletters. To ensure that you are in the community of readers going forward, please confirm that the contact I have for you is correct or update if needed.