SUBSEA SUSTAINABLE SUBSEA NETWORKS IN THE MENA REGION COP28 and the Egypt SubOptic Symposium BY IAGO BOJCZUK AND NICOLE STAROSIELSKI
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ince its first edition in 1995 in Germany, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has annually brought together representatives from around the world—diplomats, governments, members of civil society, and the private sector—to discuss and organize initiatives on the impacts of climate change. Despite controversies and criticism of the slow pace of the decision-making processes, the outcomes of COP are often influential in setting an international agenda. This event is a global forum for debating states’ obligations, assessing progress in combating climate change, and making decisions on the implementation of the UNFCCC. Every year, the topic of connectivity and digital technologies gains more importance at COP. In his opening remarks at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told world leaders, “We have the technologies to avoid the worst of climate chaos—if we act now.” Addressing member states from around the world, Guterres emphasized that climate sustainability is the only viable pathway to economic sustainability. In the logo for COP28, satellites feature prominently, situated along with solar panels and wind turbines. This gives the impression that satellites are among the most significant technologies moving us toward a sustainable future. The icons were present everywhere on the sprawling conference grounds at Expo City in Dubai in December 2023. Subsea cables—the backbone of the global internet— were notably absent, even though technologies
Image 1. Satellites surround
and are incorporated into the
COP28 logo.
JANUARY 2024 | ISSUE 134 9