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Holding COP28 in Dubai is a joke. Letting Charles open it is a bigger one

The royal family is one the world’s biggest landowners. And land ownership is at the root of the climate crisis

Holding COP28 in Dubai is a joke. Letting Charles open it is a bigger one
King Charles III, then Prince Charles, visiting Newquay in 2017 to meet residents from Tregunnel Hill, a neighbourhood built on Duchy of Cornwall land | Matt Cardy/Getty Images
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When we think about the climate crisis, we don't typically think of land ownership. If we did, perhaps the fact that King Charles III is giving the opening address at COP28 would raise more eyebrows.

The UN’s signature climate change conference has garnered rightful criticism for being hosted in Dubai in 2023. But the fact that one of the world’s biggest landowners is launching the event should invite just as much scrutiny.

A new report from Culture Hack Labs, written in collaboration with Indigenous activists, reveals how land ownership is at the root of climate breakdown. If we want to get out of the crisis, we need to fundamentally change our relationship to land.