Reflections on COP28

Ordnance Survey's Chief Commercial Officer Paul French reflects on this year's COP.

Last week I attended COP28 in Dubai, alongside a whole team of colleagues from OS. The conference was alarming and rewarding in equal measure. Alarming in regards to the scale of damage that continues to be caused to the planet, and rewarding in that there is some cause for optimism, and areas where OS can play a significant role.

The UK’s involvement in COP commenced with a keynote speech from His Majesty the King, who declared the world was ‘dreadfully far off track’ on addressing climate change and that the global economy would be in peril unless the environment was rapidly repaired. The King told world leaders that the dangers of climate change were no longer a distant risk and urged them to take more action.

For me personally, the King’s speech was helpful in framing how I thought about my COP attendance and how and where to participate. Public and private sectors have to collaborate effectively to solve the world’s problems; OS is therefore well placed to support the battle against climate change, both in the UK and globally.

"Through all the nature, space, and financial sessions at COP, it became very clear that location data is key to understanding how to mitigate and adapt to climate change, but also in supporting nature and the ability for green finance to work effectively through baselining and monitoring capabilities." - Paul French, Chief Commercial Officer

Our demonstration of the OS VeriEarth concept matched the corporate need for high integrity credits to support carbon sequestration and nature projects around the world. Through discussions it also became clear that to meet some of the global declarations, such as increasing global renewables by a third by 2030, needs a good understanding of available land globally and, of course, accurate maps.

The Supply Chain Data Partnership (SCDP) , was launched at COP last year, with the aim of developing and providing critical location insights for assurance of global supply chains. This year, OS and other partners were at COP to update on a major new milestone, as OS Sustainability Lead Donna Lynsday explains in the video below:

At the conference, we found this new platform met multiple global needs, from the requirement to decarbonise supply chains to supporting global ambitions on protecting and restoring nature. It also de-risks supply chains and investments and identifies opportunities. The next step will be a much larger coalition of global partners which will be a game-changer in transforming markets into the largest protective force on the planet; it’s a really exciting time.

Stand out moments

Other stand-out moments for OS were supporting Space4Climate in demonstrating key UK capabilities in satellite missions, sensors, trusted data and standards in the first ever Space Pavilion. Space panel sessions hosted by the UK Space Agency and DEFRA, aiming demonstrated leadership in trusted space data and global standards for sensor outputs.

Another highlight was the ability to rapidly network and connect with new and existing partners from all over the world, and to start enabling location to help solve some of the key challenges around nature and climate.

I spent a lot of time in the Technology and Innovation, and Energy Transition Hubs. ?Both are areas ?that OS supports with clients in Great Britain and internationally. Other highlights included the Dubai Municipality presenting its work on Digital Twins and how it’s using data driven insights to reduce emissions, optimise energy use and enhance urban sustainability. I also met with potential partner to discuss sustainability in future cities, the role of financial institutions in decarbonisation,? efficient recycling of plastics and more. All of these were fascinating topics; my only nervousness is how quickly they translate into action.

So where do we go after COP28?

As COP concludes, there is good news with the inclusion of fossil fuels in the final agreement for the first time. There is global collaboration to support the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Group on Earth Observation Global Ecosystems Atlas for nature, and linking it to the context geospatial data can provide will enable asset managers to understand their global impact.

We also need to support the renewable pledge by connecting data, analysis, and software partners with the funders and move SCDP into Minimum Viable Product status with key partners and customers. Next year we will also see greater collaboration between OS and the UK Space Agency as we try to match space data to the needs of the financial sector.

Location is at the heart of these pledges and OS remains committed to sharing our expertise in solving some of these global sustainability challenges.