DUBAI – Aside from the serious business of nations convening to raise global climate ambition and activists demonstrating to up the visibility of their various causes, no COP climate conference would be complete without exhibitions and fringe events to captivate and educate on pressing climate issues.
Here’s a look at some of the events at COP28 in the Dubai Expo City.
1. Pollution Pods
To help people safely experience the kind of air pollution in three of the world’s most populous cities, a series of domes has been created to mimic the sight, feel, taste and smell of the air in Beijing, London and New Delhi.
The trio of Pollution Pods at COP28, created by British artist Michael Pinsky, contain a carefully mixed recipe that emulates the relative presence of ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide that pollute these cities.
A fourth pod offers data on global air pollution and highlights some solutions to tackle the issue.
Air pollution in these cities comes from a myriad of sources like the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, and from vehicle emissions.
Environmental organisation Clean Air Fund, which was behind the exhibit, said it hopes for more to be done on air pollution, to save lives and deliver other major benefits for public health and the climate.
2. The Passage of Water
To help people better understand and visualise the world’s dwindling freshwater resources, this immersive exhibition brings to life the ways in which climate change has been impacting the earth’s water cycle with creative data visualisations.
Done in collaboration with Google, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) and Korean artist Yiyun Kang, the exhibition uses high-quality data from two of Nasa’s satellites to showcase how droughts are causing Utah’s Great Salt Lake to vanish, for example, and to illuminate China’s parched Poyang Lake.
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite, launched in 2002, tracks the movement of freshwater around the planet over the past two decades by monitoring changes in ice sheets, underground water storage and sea levels. And the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, launched in 2022, is conducting the first global survey of the earth’s surface water.
Using the findings from the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the United Nations’ top climate science body – the exhibition also showcases possible sustainable solutions to better manage water resources, such as desalination and rainwater harvesting.
3. E-waste car
Electronic waste is expected to reach a staggering 75 million tonnes globally by 2030, with less than 20 per cent being formally recycled.
This means the remaining 80 per cent will end up in landfills, contaminating soil and groundwater resources.
Envision Racing, a British team in the FIA Formula E electric car racing series, is showcasing a driveable race car made entirely from e-waste, such as phones, chargers, laptops, batteries and even single-use vapes, as part of its environmental responsibility campaign.
The race team recommends that people find different ways to clean up e-waste – by repairing, donating, selling and recycling.
4. Fossil of the Day Awards
A staple of COP conferences is the daily Fossil of the Day awards, which call out countries with detrimental environmental policies.
Countries are given first-, second- and third-place awards by environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) Climate Action Network for “doing the most to achieve the least” in terms of climate ambition. The pop-up awards ceremony was held daily from Dec 3 to 12.
These were the first three “winners” of this dubious honour at COP28, given out on Dec 3:
1st place: New Zealand
For announcing new plans to reopen the Aotearoa waters – the sea around New Zealand – for oil and gas exploration, New Zealand received first place for undermining a decade-long battle by Indigenous people to keep these marine waters free from such endeavours.
“New Zealand had been saying all the right things, listening to Indigenous voices, and championing a global phase-out of fossil fuels.
“But with a new government in the driver’s seat, they seem to have swerved off course and are undermining the Indigenous People-led struggle,” said the NGO, referring to the country’s centre-right National Party, which came to power in November.
2nd place: Japan
Japan’s plans to extend the lifespan of fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, by promoting their use with hydrogen and ammonia drew flak for greenwashing from Climate Action Network.
“Japan’s Prime Minister has been making a sales pitch through the Asia Zero Emissions Community initiative for South-east Asia to keep their coal and gas plants running using the hydrogen and ammonia co-firing technology.
“This push to lock in fossil fuel-based energy across the continent is delaying the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, adding hurdles to achieving the global goal of tripling renewables,” it added.
3rd place: United States
The US came under fire for its priorities when it came to climate finance, after it pledged only US$17.5 million (S$23.5 million) to the loss and damage fund adopted at COP28.
The fund will see developed countries, which are largely responsible for climate change, pay compensation to developing ones. More than US$790 million has been pledged so far.
“We award this fossil for the US to look in the mirror and reflect on its allocation of funds,” said Climate Action Network.
It called America’s pledge paltry for the size of the country’s historical emissions, and even more so compared with its military spending, with US$38 billion allocated to military aid to Israel, for instance.
US special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, however, said at a press conference on Dec 6 that the figure was a starting point and the amount given could be subject to change in the future.
5. Energy for Health
About 912 million people worldwide are served by healthcare facilities that either have no electricity access or have unreliable electricity.
To tackle this, India-based NGO Selco Foundation has installed solar panels and efficient medical appliances in more than 4,000 healthcare centres in rural India, with a target to reach 25,000 by 2026. It presented its efforts in an exhibition that included a short film.
The move helps to build climate resilience, save energy and avoid wastage of vaccines and other critical resources.
Health has come under the spotlight at the COP28 climate conference in 2023, as warming temperatures bring more vector-borne diseases and health threats from extreme heat.
With the support of the World Health Organisation and the International Renewable Energy Agency, Selco is replicating its efforts with governments and civil societies in sub-Saharan Africa through knowledge-sharing and capacity-building.
Aside from bringing to light the importance of having sustainable energy for healthcare, the exhibition features a five-minute short film for viewers to understand the difficulties that people face in accessing healthcare facilities in rural areas, and the realities of having an unstable electricity supply.
6. Stella McCartney’s Sustainability Market
In partnership with British fashion designer Stella McCartney’s parent company LVMH, this exhibition showcases “the possibilities of current cutting-edge or soon-to-be available technologies” that could transform the fashion industry.
McCartney is known for being a trailblazer in the sustainability and cruelty-free space for eschewing fur, leather and feathers.
The exhibition space was 3D-printed with Pure.Tech materials that absorb various greenhouse gases and convert them into environmentally friendly materials.
Innovative materials on show included bio- and plant-based alternatives to plastic, animal leather and fur, and traditional fibres. Among these was a grape-based alternative to leather by champagne house Veuve Clicquot, which McCartney used in bags seen on the runway at her Spring 2024 show in September.
Another is by Protein Evolution, which uses artificial intelligence and biology to produce raw ingredients of polyester from plastic waste instead of using fossil fuels.
