The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), hosted in Dubai from November 30 to December 13, 2023, marked a pivotal gathering of government leaders, multilateral organizations, scientific experts and corporate stakeholders, all driven by the urgency to address climate mitigation and adaptation. After two weeks of intense negotiations characterized at times by debate and division, nearly 200 Parties reached a new climate deal at COP28. The implications of this Global Stocktake – the midway point from the 2015 Paris Agreement to its 2030 targets – will be significant for companies addressing disparate legal and regulatory frameworks, managing political expectations, and communicating with stakeholders and the public about climate action.

Key takeaways from COP28 include:

1. Major Agreements and Commitments

Agreeing the UAE Consensus: COP28 participants unanimously adopted the UAE Consensus, the new climate framework that outlines targets and actions to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C and accelerate emissions reductions.

Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels: A highly debated issue revolved around the inclusion of a fossil fuel phase-out in the agreement. Ultimately, the decision was made to endorse a commitment to “transition away” from fossil fuels. While this marks the first use of the term “fossil fuel” in a COP agreement and is seen as a historic achievement in recognizing the role of fossil fuels in driving climate change, some scientists, climate advocates and government leaders deemed it unacceptable for not going all the way to a complete “phase out” of fossil fuels.

2. Energy Transition Pathways

Renewable Energy Transition: COP28 witnessed several countries pledging to transition to renewable energy sources and phase out coal, complete with specific timelines and goals that mean tripling renewable deployment by 2030 under the Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency. However, the final agreement recognized the role of “transitional fuels,” typically meaning gas, which burns cleaner than oil or coal. This was a significant win for the gas industry and prompted questions about the speed and scale of a transition away from natural gas and LNG.

Tripling Nuclear Energy Capacity: One of the key developments at COP28 was the agreement by 22 countries, including the United States, France, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom, to triple their nuclear energy capacity from 417 gigawatts in 2022 to over 900 gigawatts by 2050. This move recognizes the role of nuclear energy in achieving the 1.5C target for some countries, though nuclear continues to face resistance in countries like Germany. Under the pledge, countries will adopt several measures, including extending the life of existing nuclear reactors and build both new large-scale reactors and advanced small modular reactors (SMR).

3. Climate Finance Commitments

Breakthrough on Loss and Damage Funding: After strong efforts by lower- and middle-income countries and vulnerable countries to build on promises at previous COPs, COP28 saw the major breakthrough: Large donations by the UAE, United States, United Kingdom, Germany and others to a loss and damage fund. This fund will provide support for unavoidable climate impacts, such as extreme weather events and rising seas – though skeptics assert it provides a small fraction of the amounts required to address needs.

4. Food Systems and Food Security Declaration

Declaration on Food Systems: For the first time, COP attendees examined the connection between food systems and climate, from the relationship between current food demand and carbon emissions to the ways to improve food security amidst climate-driven extreme weather incidents and long-term weather changes. The Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action emphasizes resilience, food security and resource efficiency, with a special focus on water.

5. Policy and Regulatory Updates

Carbon Pricing Initiatives: Several nations discussed plans to implement carbon pricing mechanisms and carbon trading systems, but debates around the creation of a supervisory body was not resolved and the permanence of carbon reductions and removals were not resolved. This leaves implementation of the Paris Agreement’s carbon trading provisions in an uncertain position at the halfway point to 2030.

Stringent Emissions Reduction Targets: COP28 introduced new, more stringent emissions reduction targets for various sectors, signifying a need for potential adjustments in companies’ sustainability strategies. The Global Methane Pledge (GMP) is one of the most important examples by aiming to cut anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. Another example is the global commitment, endorsed by the World Cement Association, to set intermediate targets to support a sustainable cement and concrete industry, encouraging technical development and innovation by its members to help achieve full decarbonization by 2050.

The wide range of topics addressed at COP28 will create expectations – and in some cases mandates – for businesses from a range of sectors to take greater and faster action. While media coverage focused on heavy emitting industries like energy, the impact of the renewable transition will be felt across supply chains. Businesses will need to review their targets and plans, particularly with countries required to submit updated climate plans in 2025 and the continued pressure for improvement by 2030.

The final COP28 agreement represents an unprecedented global consensus to transition away from fossil fuels, which have long been the primary driver of the climate crisis. This historic agreement, reached after 28 years of international climate negotiations, undoubtedly marks a significant step forward. However, it also prompted a sense of bittersweet victory, with some arguing that it falls short of the more decisive phase out of fossil fuels that many had hoped for.

With elections scheduled in over 70 countries in 2024, the political landscape remains dynamic and the fate of climate policies remains uncertain. Green initiatives have faced criticism over their cost and burden upon the public, with risk of being rolled back in several major economies. Simultaneously, the EU will push forward with its aggressive plans for carbon reduction – meaning companies will need to manage diverse political interests simultaneously.

COP28 serves as both a cause for celebration and a call to action. It highlights the progress made in recognizing the urgency of the climate crisis, but also the formidable challenges that persist in transitioning to a sustainable future. As organizations move forward, it is imperative that they remain committed to pushing for more ambitious climate goals and holding leaders accountable for their promises. The road ahead is long and challenging, but the stakes have never been higher, and the need for decisive action has never been more apparent.

To all the generative AI fearmongers: Don’t we all complain that there’s never enough time in the day to do the critical, long-term, deep-thinking work? 

It’s time to reframe the discussion around the impact of generative AI from jobs and roles to tasks and deliverables. Too many of today’s generative AI discussions focus on the number of jobs that will be eliminated rather than considering all the new opportunities that can be unlocked when we automate tasks, thus freeing up more time for higher-value work and the eventuality of new roles. 

And let’s be honest … we have been using automation, natural language processing and computer vision to complete tasks long before the surge in popularity of generative AI. That’s because when technology truly does its job, it becomes nearly invisible. While the concerns may be altruistic, they’re also misguided. It’s not the technology that matters as much as the benefits you derive. It’s the suggested cart item, the grammatical correction, and the hyper-relevant search result. It’s the surfaced insight, seamless customer experience and so on. When we embrace the potential value to be gained, our mindset can shift from worrying about AI replacing jobs to reimagining a future where AI can enhance and augment our own human excellence.

When humans focus solely on the task at hand, we prioritize near-term deadlines at the cost of longer-term, higher-level ideas and creativity. For example, in PR we may rush to finish a measurement report only to quickly move to the next one when that time could be better spent developing more actionable insights based on the data, which can then be used to develop more strategic and impactful plans.

And what happens after tasks? When generative AI takes on enough tasks, it can create a full-time role just to manage and optimize all those tasks. For example, a new type of AI graphics manager can focus on generating the best possible images to convey a story. Meanwhile, the roles of traditional graphics managers have moved on – they’re now spending their time digging into data and creative sources to come up with more effective visual concepts, out of which generative AI can rapidly create 100 or more variations for consideration. This will provide more choice and options at scale — and for a fraction of the cost — while also freeing up the designers to take on more fulfilling work.

This certainly isn’t the first time that communications roles have evolved in ways we previously couldn’t have imagined. Let’s look at two historical PR examples where technology impacted what we do daily and was perceived as a significant threat to jobs but ended up creating new and better opportunities for individuals in those roles.

First, those of us working in this industry in the ‘90s can recall when media lists began to move online (for those starting after 2000, lists were previously created manually from a printed directory of media contacts).

The task: Creating a media list.

New opportunity created: More time for counselors to develop better story pitches and cultivate deeper relationships with reporters, analysts, and later bloggers and influencers. 

Result: New roles emerged, like media and data analytics, which help our media relations pros determine which outlets and story angles will deliver the most impact.

Now, let’s consider the seismic shift that happened because of AI-powered video editing.

The task: Studio editing.

New opportunity created: Producing higher-quality video became accessible and attainable to all, enabling talent to develop more customized video solutions at a fraction of the cost.

Result: As video production became significantly more affordable and internet/mobile bandwidth expanded rapidly, video became much more common on social media, leading to even more demand for video content from brands and, therefore,more creative and production jobs in PR.  

What many fear about change is often only the mind’s reaction to something unfamiliar. Change often happens one step – or task – at a time. When real change comes to fruition, new roles and higher-value opportunities inevitably arise to meet the demands of the latest technology. It’s everywhere in industry’s history – from horses to cars, factories to robots and typewriters to computers. So far, history is repeating itself, and that’s creating even more opportunities, one Gen-AI powered task at a time.

This communication is offered as general background and insight as of the date of publication, but is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice. Each organization should confer with its own legal counsel and its own business and strategic advisors for guidance that is specific to and considers the organization’s status, structure, needs and strategies.

From unionization efforts by Amazon and Starbucks employees to months of recent coverage on Hollywood’s WGA/SAG strikes, the Teamsters contract negotiations and an unusually public start to UAW contract negotiations, a union-centric national narrative has taken hold. As hourly workers (both union and nonunion) absorb these media and social conversations, corporations should pay close attention to their employee engagement levels.

In the most pro-union environment in decades, support for the hourly workforce follows the national focus on well-being and equity. Add to that the shift in power from employer to employee as companies struggle to fill positions, and you have trending topics that are about much more than wages and benefits for a particular company’s rank and file. Today’s conversation is about fair play, respect and dignity for the workforce.

It’s a topic that impacts a much wider circle of companies beyond those involved with or directly impacted by union contract negotiations. It threatens to widen the gap between workers and management. Whether your hourly workforce is under 10 or over 10,000, those employees are part of the conversation: on TikTok, social media groups or Glassdoor reviews. Your workforce—and its collective satisfaction—is the core of your reputation, and taking a hands-off approach can put any organization in a perilous position. Management’s messages and actions during a potentially charged environment will speak volumes about its attitude toward and support of its workforce.

At FleishmanHillard, our counsel is to take nothing for granted. When employees are flooded with outside points of view, it’s critical for leaders to assess what the workforce is being impacted by—both internally and externally—and how they can authentically address concerns. The employee engagement principles below are a good place to start.

How to Keep Employees Engaged

Keep listening. There’s a real danger to assuming what the workforce thinks/feels/believes. Use a variety of approaches—1:1 meetings, group discussions, surveys, advisory groups, diagonally slice meetings— to get input from all levels and a realistic picture of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Assess what’s working. Revisit current communications channels, employee events, Employee Resource Groups or other workforce committees to identify if employees are effectively receiving information, building communities and providing feedback.

Make managers integral to success. Ensure they are well-equipped with information and training to communicate with their teams and shepherd feedback.

Maintain a people-first, empathetic approach. The steady coverage on strikes and workers’ rights can be both exhilarating and exhausting for a workforce. Remember the importance of humanity in communications and actions.

Maintaining a positive, respectful work environment requires commitment to listening and following through on what you hear. It’s about regularly, and authentically, demonstrating a thoughtful approach to a future of shared success.

The workforce has changed. There’s a new generation with its own perspective on work-life balance. There’s an increased demand for transparency and equity. There are more communication channels to share ideas and points of view. Leadership’s ability to embrace this evolution will play a big role in an organization’s success as an employer of choice.

Donna Fontana is the global Manufacturing practice lead for FleishmanHillard.

The ongoing MOVEit vulnerability has become one of the most significant cybersecurity issues in recent years. Several hundred companies have reportedly been affected to date, with the potential of thousands more globally and across nearly every sector.

Unfortunately, this situation is only the latest example of a growing cybersecurity trend: attacks on software vendors that can result in millions of individual victims. The SolarWinds attack in 2020 may be the highest-profile example of this type of event, but in recent months, other examples include a business communications software provider and a developer platform.

It’s imperative that leaders consider the reputational implications of an attack stemming not just from internal systems, but from anywhere within their software ecosystems — including vendors.

The FleishmanHillard Cybersecurity practice has supported multiple clients affected by MOVEit and numerous other breaches. In helping these clients effectively protect their reputations while dealing with these matters, we have identified notable trends that others should consider.

What to Consider When Communicating About a Cyberattack

Accept accountability while providing context.

In cases where MOVEit or another compromised software was used by a vendor rather than by the company, that company may have the option to allow the vendor to disclose the breach to the affected individuals directly. Before choosing a path, the company should weigh this choice against their stakeholder’s expectations.

Consider all audiences and be prepared.

Organizations may receive questions from stakeholders regarding risks associated with MOVEit. When deciding when and how to communicate — whatever your level of exposure — have a plan that balances transparency without causing undue alarm.

Take a long view.

Examine your current risk and ask yourself: Is the data I collect essential for conducting my business? Will my stakeholders be surprised by the data I collect? How many third parties receive that information? What are their data privacy standards and practices?

Prepare ahead of time.

Experiencing a data privacy issue is no longer a question of if, but when. These attacks are increasingly more sophisticated and common — a trend that will only continue. While a data security incident by itself does not necessarily represent a reputational crisis, failure to meet your stakeholders’ expectations regarding your level of preparedness and ability to respond in a manner that is transparent and timely could result in long-term reputational damage. To maintain that trust and protect business continuity, it is critical to have a communications plan that is up-to-date and takes these nuances and possibilities into account.

You can reach the FleishmanHillard U.S. Cybersecurity Practice Group at [email protected].