Partner Glenn George supported the Energy Transition working group, comprising a variety of non-government organizations focused on zero- and low-carbon-emitting energy technologies, at the COP 28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Since the launch of the UNFCCC, COP has convened member countries at a global climate summit every year to identify and assess measures to address global climate change. The theme of COP 28 was “actionism,” as distinct from mere activism.
While at the summit, Dr. George participated in sessions addressing the development and deployment of renewables, energy efficiency, decarbonizing oil and gas supplies and heavy-emitting industrial sectors, hydrogen, and especially nuclear power. The discussions focused on levers and pathways for transition across the full energy and industrial value chains. Dr. George helped man the Net Zero Nuclear booth in the Energy Transition pavilion, gave three media interviews, appeared in a panel discussion on emergent energy technologies hosted by the government of Slovenia, and participated in conversations with such luminaries as Oliver Stone (director of Nuclear Now, a 2022 film focused on the potential contribution of nuclear power to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050).
The Energy Transition working group helped contribute to one key output of COP 28, language at paragraph 28(e) in the communiqué issued at the conclusion of the summit, which for the first time in UNFCCC history supported a wide variety of zero- and low-emission technologies, including nuclear power, hydrogen, and carbon capture. The full text of the agreement is available here.
