Can COP28 really try to ignore fossil fuels? Every summer, the Scottish city of Edinburgh holds a high-profile theater and comedy festival that is famous for its drama and laughter. This year’s event, however, will also feature an act that is too serious to be humorous: John Kerry, the US climate envoy,will speak on the future of climate negotiations and government policy.

It is a cleverly chosen—albeit novel—venue for him to deliver his message, since Edinburgh attracts a youthful (intellectual) crowd. The timing is also striking. For one thing, the speech comes as Britain’s government is unleashing a backlash against green policies, in a desperate bid to win more electoral support.

Can COP28 really try to ignore fossil fuels?

Second, Kerry recently made a high-profile trip to Beijing in a bid to restart discussions between China and the US. Third, as preparations for COP28 in the United Arab Emirates draw closer, there is rising concern that this year’s summit “will be a washout”, as the FT highlighted in a recent podcast. So it will be interesting to see what Kerry’s message is about COP28.

We tackle the last issue, namely the COP28 talks, in today’s newsletter; do tell us what you think.

And see below for an intriguing intervention from the UN’s external auditor, which says that climate targets are becoming excessively complex and confusing and thus risk being ineffective. We have considerable sympathy with this; the sheer number of acronyms and goals is confusing us too. Let us pray that COP28 can inject more clarity and energy.

Read more at Financial Times