From 30 November until 12 December, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP28, took place at the Expo City, Dubai. The 28th conference, it has been held annually since the first UN climate agreement in 1992, and is intended for governments to agree on policies to limit global temperature rises and adapt to impacts associated with climate change.
On December 8, HCSS deputy director Michel Rademaker and HCSS strategic analyst Irina Patrahau hosted an in-person moderated Serious Game together with the Arab Youth Green Voices and the Netherlands Embassy in Jordan on the case study of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The game stimulates a situation whereby participants act as decision makers tasked with the challenge of mitigating the impact of water, energy, and food-related risks, as well as increasing the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities. In doing so the serious gaming exercise fulfilled two purposes: (1) creating awareness and understanding of the complexities behind the Water-Energy-Food nexus in climate-vulnerable areas; and (2) stimulating the development of innovative ideas that could support Water-Energy-Food management strategies in the Sinai. This event highlights one of HCSS’s key messages for COP28, namely the importance of youth participation in developing informed, integrated and inclusive solutions for climate-related challenges along the water-energy-food nexus.