The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 begins Thursday and runs through Dec. 12 in Dubai with a focus on assessing the progress that nations have made in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Chavonda Jacobs-Young, the department's undersecretary for research, education and economics, are expected to attend the conference.
The United Nations calls COP28 “a pivotal opportunity to correct course and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis.
“COP28 is where the world will take stock of progress on the Paris Agreement — the landmark climate treaty concluded in 2015 — and chart a course of action to dramatically reduce emissions and protect lives and livelihoods,” the U.N. added.
Agriculture is expected to play a prominent role in this year's meeting. In 2022, the United Arab Emirates - the host of COP28 - joined the United States in launching AIM for Climate, a multinational effort to boost food production through technology and innovation.
In a press release, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said it is “committed to assist countries with the implementation of agrifood systems solutions fully aligned with the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action,” to be unveiled as part of the conference.
The declaration will be unveiled as part of the UAE's “ambitious agenda on food and agriculture,” which will be a prominent feature of the World Climate Action Summit on Friday and the Food, Agriculture, and Water Day on Dec. 10, FAO noted.
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“The climate and food crises are inseparable,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said. “Investing in agrifood systems and rural areas creates the concrete solution to address the impacts of the climate crisis. At COP28 FAO will systematically highlight how agrifood systems transformation accelerates climate action to the benefit of people, prosperity and the planet.”
FAO will lead or colead several events as well as jointly oversee the Food and Agriculture Pavillion with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rockefeller Foundation and CGIAR, formerly dubbed the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
During the event, a series of reports will be presented, including a global assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options from livestock agrifood systems and a “global road map” for reducing emissions.
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