December 01 2023

COP28: Universities have a key role to play in the transformations global society is facing

COP28 needs to deliver real ‘concerted action’ to tackle climate change amid fears it is becoming a talking shop ‘trade fair’ – argues MDX academic Johan Siebers

Amid the huge media coverage of COP28 two themes stand out: Firstly, with 70,000 participants, has this gathering become too unwieldy, a trade fair rather than an international decision-making body, as one commentator put it this week? And secondly, what do we need COP28 to deliver? This is the first global stock-take, the first time the international community steps back and looks at where we are with respect to concrete deliverables agreed earlier. It is likely that much more concerted action is needed if we are to maintain global warming within the 1.5, or even 2 degrees margin. At the same time, as a result of conflicts, polarisation, economic instability and increased insecurity, many national governments are stepping back from promises to drastically cut emissions and to put institutional frameworks and infrastructure in place to end the world’s dependency on fossil fuels. The UK, the home base of Middlesex, is no exception. The approach to energy security the British government is taking will increase national oil and gas production. Once in many ways a leader in the energy transition, Britain at the moment pursues an approach to climate change that can only be described as wavering and confused. Will there be a joint statement on the future of fossil fuels? From food systems to energy security, such a statement is necessary and will define policy development in the time to come.

The wavering is, in my view, a general feature of the contemporary moment. In the run-up to COP28 we heard that the host state had plans to use the conference to broker oil and gas deals with a host of nations. This perhaps not directly prohibited by the letter of the event, but for sure strangely at odds with the spirit of what the world community is trying to achieve. If there is a breakdown in the trust states and nations extend to each other, as is the case in a world riddled by conflict, the necessary cooperation, the sense of interdependence and creative harmony on which climate action depends, suffers. People withdraw into the strongholds of their narrowly defined interests and communities, environmental destruction becomes a price to pay for security and the only winner is militarism, of our nations and of our hearts and minds, one of the main arteries and expressions of colonial patriarchy.

The global academic community of Middlesex has always understood itself as working towards a different future: one of inclusivity, social and environmental justice, equality and equity, celebration of diversity and difference and of economic growth through responsible, social entrepreneurship. Middlesex has a tradition of radical scholarship that sees itself as participating in the shaping of our world. The vision of a better world is built into our DNA, starting with our 19th century initiatives to open up the teaching profession to women and running all the way to the present day, with our work on health inequalities, sustainable business, human rights and many other areas of research, teaching and public engagement that all put knowledge into action to make real improvements in societies worldwide. I invite you to have a look on our websites to learn about our work.

Universities have a big role to play in the social transformations that are needed to face the challenges global society is facing. We can’t afford to continue to try to understand the world by using the lenses of the past. Knowledge and understanding are essential enablers of building a sustainable world community. We are called to think and work in an interdisciplinary way, to teach our students to think and act in that way, to embrace the unity of our intellectual and practical pursuits and to celebrate the pleasure of higher learning, for everyone. More people than ever are entering Higher Education. This is a development that will not stop, no matter how many reactionary voices are trying to put swathes of the global population back into limited perspectives for their growth, for what they can achieve. Like primary education 150 years ago and secondary education 75 years ago, so tertiary education is now quickly becoming a global human right that will change the nature of universities in a fundamental way. It is an exciting time to be in higher education, as a student, a researcher or a lecturer, or all at once. Universities foster the environment that allows people to take control of their own thought process and communication process, to exercise their curiosity, to consider the facts, look for explanations in a methodical way and learn to look at things from a broad and open perspective, critical and appreciative at the same time. We all need to learn that if the vision of a sustainable world is to become a reality.

Photo by Melissa Bradley on Unsplash

Professor Johan Siebers is a Professor of Philosophy of Language and Communication at MDX University and a Theme Director for Sustainability of Communities and the Environment.

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Tags: CLIMATE CHANGE, COP28, government, politics