Closing summary
Cop28 has wound up for the day. The key events were:
widespread outrage at the news that a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists have been given access to Cop28,
agriculture and food systems have been left off the latest draft of the negotiating text on the global stocktake and
Mary Robinson has made her first comment since the row over the Cop28 president’s controversial response to her questions on the need for a fossil fuel phase-out, revealed by the Guardian.
Thanks for joining us, we’ll be back tomorrow.
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It’s Indigenous people’s day at Cop28, where it is very hard for native communities to get a seat at the negotiating tables where life and death decisions about their lands and customs are made. Which is a huge loss for all of us, as we need more delegates like Teresa Christa Mashian, 33, who is representing the Achuar people from the Ecuador Amazon. It’s her first Cop: she is the first woman from her community to travel outside of Ecuador, and the first woman to ever be elected as community leader – a post she has held for three years. “My job is keep the community safe, and protect the forest for future generations. Women were never allowed to take roles outside the home in the last but I’ve shown them that we are capable.”
Her biggest achievement so far has been gaining protected status for 50,000 hectares (124,000 acres) of virgin forest – with the help of Conservation International. Last year, carbon offset brokers – unknown people from other countries – started showing up, offering money to the community to join various schemes. “The community has needs – our young people have to leave to study and find jobs in the city, and some fall into addiction and prostitution. We’d love to start a community tourism project. But other communities have had bad experiences with carbon market projects so I am trying to find out more information as I don’t want to be scammed.”
It’s worth remembering that access was granted to seven times more fossil fuel lobbyists than official Indigenous delegates at Cop28.
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