USDEC is leading a U.S. dairy delegation at the COP28 global climate summit in Dubai. Check here and on social media for updates on USDEC's efforts at COP28.

Why is the U.S. Dairy Export Council leading a United States dairy industry delegation at COP28 in Dubai?

COP28—short for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change—presents an opportunity to tell U.S. dairy's positive sustainability story to global policymakers, thought leaders and others with power to affect the future of our industry. 

The delegation will stress the significant contributions that U.S. dairy is making to sustainable food systems, including its potential to nourish a growing global population, as well as the concrete steps being taken to reduce U.S. dairy's environmental impact. COP28 also provides U.S. dairy a platform to emphasize the role of trade and dairy exports in delivering sustainable nutrition around the world.

Government ministers, climate advocates, business leaders and agricultural experts are among the more than 100,000 delegates from around the globe attending the COP28 Summit in Dubai. Photos: Canva.

The U.S. dairy delegation includes Alex Peterson, a dairy farmer and interim USDEC chair; Nick Gardner, USDEC's senior vice president of Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs; Kelly Sheridan, USDEC's vice president of Environmental Affairs, and Jerry Brown, USDEC's senior vice president of Communications.

This year's conference will place a greater emphasis on food systems than any previous COP, including the December 1 announcement of the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action. The Declaration, which has been endorsed by the United States and 133 other countries, represents a prioritization of the importance of aligning national actions on food systems and climate as part of the Paris Climate Agreement. It is in the context of the Declaration, a December 10 food systems ministerial, and numerous other COP28 events focused on food and agriculture that the delegation aims to ensure U.S. dairy maintains a prominent presence and influence at this important gathering of policymakers.

They also intend to showcase the leadership of U.S. dairy in addressing climate and nutrition challenges through continuous improvement, innovation and the generation of revenue streams for producers. Achieving climate goals cannot come at the expense of nutrition, nor only on the backs of U.S. dairy farmers. It is vital that leaders understand the extent to which U.S. dairy farmers have already reduced environmental impact and the benefits sustainable-produced U.S. dairy products can provide in nourishing the world.

COP28 kicked off on November 30, with USDEC’s events scheduled around relevant thematic days from December 5-10. USDEC will provide extensive coverage of the "dairy angle" through:

• USDEC's X (formerly Twitter) page.
• USDEC LinkedIn company page.
• The U.S. Dairy Exporter Blog.
• Global Dairy eBrief, USDEC's members-only newsletter.

Bookmark this blog post for a continuously updated roundup of our best coverage.

Social media posts, organized in chronological order by day, are below. 

Monday (December 4): USDEC at COP28

Tuesday (December 5): USDEC at COP28

Wednesday (December 6): USDEC at COP28

Friday (December 8): USDEC at COP 28

Saturday (December 9): USDEC at COP 28

Sunday (December 10): USDEC at COP 28

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff.