Diplomacy with Swiss help: how much Switzerland invests in the climate conference in Dubai

This also includes the electric trucks that drive between the Kühne+Nagel warehouse in Dubai and the event location. All movements within the site, which covers an area of ​​approximately 900,000 square meters – the equivalent of 126 football fields – are planned and handled exclusively by Kühne+Nagel. The transport professionals of the global group based in Schindellegi SZ are exclusively responsible for all logistics in the “last meters” of the mega event, which lasts from November 30 to December 12.

The company is following in relatively small footsteps: at the last climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, almost everything was missing at the beginning. Only after a few days was there enough water and food on the remote event site. The United Arab Emirates now apparently wants to rely on Swiss precision work.

However, in recent days the team led by Jörn Schneemann, Global Head of Expo and Events at Kühne+Nagel, has had to deal with an unforeseen weather event: heavy rain has affected infrastructure and delayed the delivery of stand construction materials in one of the areas with a entire day. To ensure that the constructions for stands and pavilions for more than 400 exhibitors are ready on time, Schneemann has activated approximately 170 employees.

An oil boss leads the world climate conference

The unusual rainfall for the region isn’t the only thing overshadowing this year’s World Climate Conference. The conference was criticized from the start because host Sultan Al Jaber also heads the Emirates’ state oil company – and has not even considered giving up his chairmanship. And since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, conflict in the Middle East has overshadowed the conference. Even if the war has not yet escalated into a blaze, it is absorbing political resources worldwide and fueling resentment and conflict among heads of state and government, whose unity is urgently needed for the success of the summit.

Cop 28 focuses on progress towards achieving the Paris climate target. In Dubai, participants will for the first time take a global inventory of the 2015 climate agreement. In its annual report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently identified three measures that will put the world on a 1.5 degree path by 2030: tripling of the capacity of renewable energy sources, doubling the increase in energy efficiency and reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production by 75 percent – ​​at least by 2030. According to the agency, these three measures can go well Achieve 80 percent of the additional emission reduction.

But there is a lack of money for this, especially in developing countries. According to a report by the Energy Agency for Renewable Energy (Irena), $1,300 billion would be needed annually to triple renewable capacity from 3,400 gigawatts last year to 11,100 gigawatts in 2030 – almost tripling last year’s nearly 500 billion.

Switzerland demands fairness in financing

The US and China in particular are crucial in the fight against the climate. John Kerry, the US government’s special climate representative, and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua are expected in Dubai. US President Joe Biden and Chinese ruler Xi Jinping had also discussed climate during their meeting in California last week. The two leaders announced ahead of the global climate conference that they would accelerate efforts to tackle climate change and take steps to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, in addition to carbon dioxide.

Switzerland, which was the first country to sign the Paris climate agreement, is of course also participating in Dubai. Federal President Alain Berset will represent the country at the start of the meeting of heads of state and government. Albert Rösti, head of the Uvek, will take part in the discussions between environment ministers on the ground. The Swiss negotiating delegation is led by Environment Ambassador Felix Wertli, head of the international department of the Federal Office for the Environment.

Switzerland’s goals revolve primarily around transparency in assessing progress to date and recommendations for action to achieve climate goals. Switzerland also wants to ensure that the ‘Loss and Damage Fund’ approved last year benefits the poorest countries and those particularly affected by climate change. When it comes to this fund for climate-related losses and damage, it is currently unclear, among other things, which countries and which actors should contribute to the fund, how the money will be distributed and where the fund should be housed.