Given the inevitable emissions resulting from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes, the implementation of offset projects is essential to attain COP28’s carbon-neutral objective4. Previous offsets were purchased through United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)-recognized sources, such as certified emission reductions, and prioritized projects located in least developed countries or small island developing states, thus advancing climate justice. Taking COP26 as an example, projects encompassed renewable energy initiatives and waste treatment projects in developing countries, totalling 136,720 tCO2e in carbon offsets, with one-fifth of the offsets coming from Lao People’s Democratic Republic (one of the countries on the UN list of least developed countries)1. Regarding allocations, different parties and stakeholders assumed responsibility for the emissions generated at various stages, including travel, accommodation and conference activities. For instance, air travel fell within the scope of the Carbon Management Plan under the Host Country Agreement between the UNFCCC and the UK, which requires the host country to purchase carbon offsets equivalent to the emissions arising from the delegates’ travel to attend the conference. However, there is a fundamental problem with the carbon offset projects, which is that most of the offsets are not for removing carbon but for avoiding its release, doing little to lower carbon dioxide levels in the air5.
Besides the overarching carbon mitigation target and strategies, there remains a need to pay attention to the disparities in individual-level carbon footprints stemming from conference attendance. A nuanced understanding of the various factors influencing COP participants’ carbon footprints contributes to tailoring efficient emission mitigation policies through a bottom-up approach. The carbon footprint of attendees may vary considerably across income levels, geographic locations, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. A positive relationship between the tourism carbon footprint and wealth affluence could be expected6. Because of budget constraints and the high cost of accommodation, attendees from least developed countries may spend fewer days at the conference, which limits their COP-related activities and reduces their carbon footprint. Such carbon inequality could be further interconnected with the diversity, inclusion and equity experienced by attendees. For least developed countries, limited attendance at the conference would undermine their ability to access cutting-edge climate knowledge and to engage in international negotiations, as well as diminish their participation in global climate action. Disparity in carbon footprints among attendees would serve as a microcosm of the broader climate justice challenges confronting society, highlighting the unequal access that certain parties have to climate knowledge and rights.
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