COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVES OF COPS: ROLE OF PR AT COP28

By Irene Lungu Chipili

Climate change has been recognised as a global threat changing weather patterns, disrupting the usual balance of nature, impacting economic sectors and food security. This poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on earth. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.

Member states (or Parties) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) met at the Conference of Parties (COP28) from 28th November to 12th December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The COP is the highest decision-making body on climate change and is composed of countries which have signed up to the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. It is an annual Conference on climate change and brings together the world to agree on ways of addressing climate crises such as global temperature rise, assisting communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change and reducing emissions.

COP28 was aimed at delivering a science-based, action-oriented approach to ensure the following four paradigm shifts:

1. Fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030;

2. Transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on Finance;

3. Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and

4. Mobilizing for an inclusive COP.

A key outcome of the Conference included operationalization and capitalization of the Loss and Damage Fund and funding arrangements which was set up during COP27. A transitional Committee had been instituted in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to work out modalities of how the Fund would operate and this was approved by COP28, thereby operationalizing the fund. Consequently, over USD800 million was pledged towards the Fund by the close of the Conference.

In addition, negotiations on a global goal on adaptation were adopted, ‘the Emirates Framework for Global Climate Resilience’, transitioning away from fossil fuels, tripling investments in renewables and doubling energy efficiency globally by 2030.

This encourages parties to accelerate ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets in their next nationally determined contributions to achieve net zero by 2050.

COP28 provided a platform for engagements for various players including scientists, Heads of State and other leaders, youth and communicators.

This is because at the centre of the climate change discourse is a need for communication on the subject. Climate change communication is key to raising awareness on climate change, its causes and effects, and encouraging people to take action to address it. This can however be a challenging task, as climate change is a complex and often abstract issue.

It was gratifying that public relations and communication specialists participated at COP28 supporting institutions and countries on climate change.

**Irene Lungu Chipili and Gloria Holm-Graves**

Gloria Holm-Graves, APR

Head, Public Relations Unit

Ministry of Environment, Science, and Innovation (MESTI), Ghana.

Africa is experiencing the negative effects of climate-related issues including extreme weather, rising sea levels, desertification, water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity in vulnerable communities and ecosystems. The situation requires a coordinated and effective climate change communication approach to foster collective action among all stakeholders.

Communicators at COP28 sought to improve awareness and understanding with various societies on the phenomenon and strengthen collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders working towards climate change mitigation and adaptation while identifying innovative approaches and tools to engage diverse audiences in climate action going forward.

Aliyu Abubakar

Manager, Media Relations

Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Nigeria

Communicators all over the world recognize the potent power of engaging various interests to drive the global agenda for a cleaner, greener future, which is basically what COP28 champions.

Our role as Communicators at COP28 stems from the fact that the world is in dire need of experts who will professionally amplify key messages of sustainability and environmental stewardship.

As Communicators, we have the crucial task of ensuring that the mission of our respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), both in public and private space, aligns perfectly with the set targets of COP28.

Friday Phiri

Communication Specialist, African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, Zambia.

From a communication perspective, it is said that effective communication is an important tool in achieving successful negotiation outcomes. And COP28 was no different. Its outcomes, just as the case has been of COPs in recent years, were largely driven and underpinned by the communication agenda.

To illustrate my point, the communication agenda set for COP28 was that it would be about fossil fuel oligarchs on one hand and clean energy enthusiasts on the other. The tone was set immediately after an oil tycoon, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber was appointed as COP28 President by the host country. But this was expected as the host country, the UAE is an oil (fossil fuel) dependent economy. The global media went into a frenzy with the narrative that fossil fuel conglomerates had been given a seat at the table of negotiations to decide their fate.

However, looking back into past COPs, one would quickly realise that it’s all about communication, as some fossil fuel dependant countries hosted the climate conference without any fuss. For example, Poland, the second-largest coal producer in Europe, has hosted the COP a record three times; in Poznan (2008), Warsaw (2013) and Katowice (2018).

I have learnt from my experience as a communicator and reporter on climate change processes that COP outcomes are largely about semantics. And COP28 was no different. It was about the semantics on ‘phase-out, phase down or transition-away from fossil fuels’ as the global community looks to clean energy. Who, if not public relations and communication professionals, is better placed to set the semantics agenda?

My point is that communication is at the centre of climate conference outcomes, whichever way one looks at it. Thus, the role of communicators at COP28 was as powerful as it will be at future COPs. Effective communication will continue to shape the outcomes of future conferences. As communicators, we therefore cannot afford to be mere spectators.

In conclusion, although climate change is a global issue, it has a personal impact on people's lives. Communicators therefore have a role to effectively communicate balanced scientific information in an appropriate language and analogy, combining this with narrative storytelling, visual imagery, and scenarios.

COP28 was beneficial in identifying collaborative efforts in tackling climate change, fostering partnerships and advancing sustainable development goals.

About the Author:

Irene Lungu Chipili is the current president of the Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC), a professional body responsible for regulating public relations and communication professionals in Zambia. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA).

She is currently serving as Head – Corporate Affairs and Marketing for the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation PLC (ZAFFICO), Zambia’s largest forestry company. Irene participated in COP 28 alongside other officials from the Corporation.

Any thoughts or opinions expressed are that of the authors and not of Global Alliance.