The COP U.N. Climate Change Summits are important annual events in our global journey towards a sustainable future. Despite many unmet promises and questionable motives being raised (see news of Dubai using COP meetings to discuss oil), they are important gatherings where leaders, innovators, and funders gather. It is widely recognized that the ‘real’ value and action comes from informal meetings and organic collisions.

As we edge closer to the event, we are focused on the critical aspect of funding climate change initiatives with three lenses: 

• Global Impact: a barometer for geopolitical alignments and climate financing
• Business Opportunities: announcements as opportunity signals for investors and climate ventures 
• Individual Actions: new opportunities to support the path to net-zero 

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Global Impact: a barometer for geopolitical alignments and climate financing 

The Summit provides a lens through which to view the evolving dynamics of global superpowers and the role of the emerging economies. For example:

• The collaborative, or divergent, moves may foreshadow new geopolitical alliances and reveal more on the current state of critical relationships (e.g., climate agreements for China-US).
• The role of traditional sectors like oil, gas, and big agriculture from impediments slowing the process to potential catalytic investors and early customers to de-risk climate technologies. 
• The role of blended finance and new capital stacks to fund technologies, previously unviable, through growing climate-focused funding, including carbon credits and loss and damage funding. 

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Business Opportunities: announcements as opportunity signals for investors and climate ventures 

Large-scale initiatives and pledges which will also open a plethora of opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors as demand is created for new technologies and inputs along value chains. For example: 

• Detailed identification of priority decarbonisation sectors driving opportunities in areas like hydrogen for decarbonising and direct air capture for offsetting emissions. 
• Emphasis on agriculture may signal opportunities for smart farming and circular solutions that address challenges like the energy intensity of fertilizers and waste water treatment.
• Emergent sectors like nature based solutions, including bioeconomy and partnerships with Indigenous groups.

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Local Actions: New opportunities to support the path to net-zero

On a micro-level, the Summit's outcomes hold profound implications for local communities and individuals. For example: 

• Holding the national government accountable to commitments by engaging local elected officials and supporting businesses, organizations and Indigenous communities taking action. 
• New and emerging job roles (e.g., urban farmer, hydrogen retrofitter) and upskilling opportunities for large-scale transformations (e.g., grid optimization).
• Opportunities to support and de-risk breakthrough technologies through crowdfunding and democratized investment opportunities

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Conclusion

The COP28 Summit is more than just a congregation of nations making (often empty) promises; it's a fulcrum point in the climate action narrative. The headline commitments and collaborations developed on the sidelines defined here will not only shape global climate policy but also create tangible opportunities at the business and individual levels, sparking a wave of innovation and investment on our journey to a sustainable future. 

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