COP28
I am sorry. I wish I could be more positive about international climate conferences. No doubt most of the attendees are well-intentioned and genuinely desirous of meaningful actions that might save this ailing planet but the end declarations are often extraordinarily wishy-washy. Besides, any commitments that are made are dependent upon what happens back in the delegates' home countries. Arguably, the city state of Dubai should not exist. It was built with steel, concrete and glass in a relatively short time period with monies accrued from oil industries. It has hardly led the way in energy conservation either. It would be virtually impossible to live in Dubai without air-conditioning or motor vehicles. One might even say that Dubai is a monument to excessive use of fossil fuels. And yet this is where COP28 was held. The irony could not be more startling. People flew in from all over the world, staying in sumptuous hotels. They consumed fabulous food - also flown in...