Veteran campaigner Zac Goldsmith sees reasons for optimism that countries will deliver on their spending promises at Cop28, four months after leaving the UK government with a withering attack on a prime minister “uninterested” in the environment.
The 48-year-old quit his job in Rishi Sunak's government in June but will be a keen participant in the Cop28 meeting in Dubai in November and December.
Mr Goldsmith joined the UK government as environment minister as it hosted the Cop26 climate summit in 2019 and said Cop28 is well placed to offer an opportunity for a reboot.
Quitting government gave him greater scope, he said, to ensure nature is at the heart of global efforts to keep global warming on track.
“My concern more recently was that we were losing that momentum,” he told The National. “The ground changing thing that emerged from Cop26 was that we brought nature in from the periphery, from the margins.
“There's no pathway to net zero that doesn't involve massive efforts to protect and restore nature and that was reflected in [Egypt's] Cop27 and it will undoubtedly be reflected in Cop28 as well – [Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate] and the team have really made that very clear.”
In another time, not one marked by the climate emergency, Mr Goldsmith's intense dedication to the natural world would be seen as iconoclastic and a personal obsession, not trailblazing campaigning.
The Old Etonian often seems more at home in rainforest glades than the red benches of the UK House of Lords, where he remains a legislator.
Mr Goldsmith's primary concern revolves around promoting and extending commitments on forests and mangroves, issues that he sees as “high up the agenda” for the forthcoming UAE meeting.
His mantra in his work is not only stopping damage to nature but to “shift it to renewal”. That means not only working with countries where the issues are most stark but with finance, philanthropy and business to mobilise funding and remove “perverse incentives” for planetary destruction.
“My focus now that I'm freed from ministerial responsibilities is to make good those promises of Cop – so far the UAE Presidency have been fantastically helpful,” he said.
“We have big, big moments at the start of Cop28 where leaders are going to be given an opportunity to report back not just to country leaders but the private sector, philanthropy and so on.
“From what I've seen so far, it looks like we are nearly on track with the spending commitments that were made by different donor countries. I think in terms of promises being made and kept, the story is better than I think I and others had expected it to be.”
For Mr Goldsmith, the countries in the “better-than-expected” category could well include the UK, despite his resignation warning that the country would lose leadership prestige if it went off track.
In the months since, Mr Sunak rolled back commitments within the UK's Net Zero by 2050 plan on deadlines for installing gas boilers in homes and banning new combustion engine cars.
The final straw for Mr Goldsmith was backsliding on a target of £11.6 billion the UK had pledged for climate and nature funding made in 2019. Mr Goldsmith had a hand in the “earthmoving commitments” behind the 2019 Forests Declaration and says resources pledged to nature-based solutions to climate are a litmus test for action.
He hopes the world will be on track for an end to deforestation by the end of this decade.
In government, he thought the target was being lost, particularly as a result of a lack of direction from Mr Sunak, but he has since detected something of a change of heart, with new commitments from his old colleagues.
“I hope I'm not putting too optimistic a spin on it, but it feels to me that on the finances, money side of things, we are gradually moving back into the position where we belong, which is making promises and keeping them,” he said.
The climate and nature pledge makes the three big regions of concern – the Congo Basin, the Amazon and Indonesian rainforests – a top priority.
“If we lose any one of these huge biomes, it's game over in terms of climate change,” he observed.
The Congo Basin provides much of Africa's rainfall and a key part of saving it is the Great Green Wall project across the Sahel. As a result of it, and even the wider push on issues like restoring mangroves in the Arab world, he says Saudi Arabia wants to influence this work, which he celebrates.
“The beauty of mangroves is obviously great in terms of mitigation and when as they grow they also provide coastal protection so are an adaptation partner,” he said. “They provide jobs as it's quite labour intensive to repair and protect them. And mangroves are where a lot of the deep sea fish can thrive.
“The UAE has given us some great champions on this. The President and supporting him is two great high level champions. Razan Mubarak really understands very deeply this inextricable link between climate and nature, she gets that fully and really is a great ambassador.
“You've got Mariam Al Mheiri [UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment], she, too, is a great champion when it comes to things like mangroves and nature restoration.
“I'm pretty optimistic when it comes to this part of the agenda.”
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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More from UAE Human Development Report:
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Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
