TORONTO | Traditional territories of the Wendat, Anishnabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — As COP28 opens this week in Dubai, the David Suzuki Foundation is calling out the fossil fuel industry and other extractive corporate interests for slowing down climate action. The Foundation urges political leaders at COP28 to deliver community-centred climate justice instead of bowing to fossil fuel interests. COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is CEO of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil company. Hundreds of industry delegates are expected to attend COP28.
Although the Foundation will not have delegates at COP28, its team of climate experts are available to comment on fossil fuel corruption, climate justice issues and key climate policies (such as oil and gas emissions cap, methane regulations, etc.):
- Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Executive Director
- Julius Lindsay, Director of Sustainable Communities (and the Ontario region)
- Sabaa Khan, Director of Climate Solutions (and Quebec / Atlantic Canada)
- Melina Laboucan-Massimo, current DSF board member and former research fellow; founder of Sacred Earth Solar and co-founder and Senior Director at Indigenous Climate Action
Ahead of COP28, the David Suzuki Foundation has released climate justice resources aimed at all levels of government:
- Municipal Climate Justice Guide: A framework for cities and municipalities to use when integrating equity into climate action.
- Just Transition Guide: Profiling Indigenous-led climate solutions already underway in Canada and creating a how-to guide for communities that want to address the climate crisis on their own terms.
This week, the Foundation also released:
- New legal analysis against fossil fuel expansion, “International obligations governing Canada’s development of new liquefied natural gas production capacity in light of the climate change emergency”: This legal opinion examines the expansion of LNG in British Columbia and implications under international law for all countries considering further development of this harmful fossil fuel.
Canada faced the worst wildfire season in history this year and 2023 is on track to be the hottest on record. Extreme weather events will continue to increase in frequency and intensity around the world unless governments take action.
Foundation experts are available to media for comment in the lead-up to, during and after COP28 via the contact information below.
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For more information or media interviews, please contact:
Melanie Karalis: mkaralis@davidsuzuki.org, 548-588-1279