John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

A Different Climate At COP28

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We arrived in Dubai for the COP28 climate summit just after midnight on Sunday 3rd, returning on Friday 8th. In between, Louise (Kjellerup Roper) and I experienced multiple different worlds – hinted at in the following images. A separate sequence on our subsequent trip to Masdar City and Abu Dhabi follows. Among other things, we launched our new white paper – on greenwashing and green hushing – with the First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and the UAE Global Councils on the SDGs.

Burj Khalifa (centre) as we zoom towards Expo 2020 site and COP28
Tidy – and it turned out that civil society had been somewhat tidied up, too
Aerial cones
You are invited to smell the polluted air of different cities – including London
But what sort of growth?
Ah, a term I came up with in 1986 – with SustainAbility “the Green Growth Company” in its early years
Even police boats find a berth
Pick your future
A wider view
Our language is on walls, hoardings and banners everywhere
A sense of a world being upended
Cadets, I think
I take part in a session hosted by the Climate Safe Finance Network – where am a judge on a new contest
Catching up with sustainability team at Paulig – which supplied the coffee for the Finnish Pavilion
And on to the Finnish Pavilion for a Neste event
Under way, with Sami Jauhiainen, VP of Renewable Aviation at Neste
With Christoph Wolff, CEO of the Smart Freight Centre
Boosting our handprint, too
With Angela Pinnate, Director of Sustainability/LATAM, Natura & Co
Sami and Päivi Makronen, Acting VP of Sustainability at Neste
Brownian motion
Illuminated, now
Louise in our favourite Emirati food café
Flagpoles and flags illustrate the challenge of getting everyone onside
Mechanical pollinator, though I prefer Nature’s versions
Joel Makower’s message to the world
The dugong gets a look-in
Louise’s panel under way
With FAB CSO Shargiil Bashir after our “fireside chat”
Electrifying all the organs of the state
Brazilian friends: Roberto Waack, biologist and business leader, and Cristiano Oliveira of Biomas
UAE Pavilion
Study in blue
Racing, after going to the wrong Expo site, but still time to snap
Pinch your fingers to start the virtual reality session
Louise, immersed
Hope House logo, of an evening
Celebration
Louise and friends – wide angling
Keeping us cool – and a major climate headache
The UAE Pavilion looking spider-like
As we arrive at Dubai Holding’s perch – a heart-warming, smile-inducing dance
Louise and Blue Earth’s Baz Bignell and Will Hayler
Dave Ford of Ocean Plastics Leadership Network and Gunnlaugur Erlendsson of Enso Tyres
En route to celebrate Finnish Independence Day
Here we are
The Northern Lights reach Dubai
Sisters-in-arms: Louise shoots Päivi Kivilä and Linda Mankki of Neste

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About

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is currently Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Volans, a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements.

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