COP28 IN DUBAI CALLS FOR ACCELERATED CLIMATE ACTION

The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 has opened with a resounding call to accelerate collective action on climate change. The conference takes place in what is already known to be the hottest year on record, and as the impacts of the climate crisis wreak unprecedented havoc on lives and livelihoods around the world.

COP28, taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 30 to December 12, 2023, is a critical moment to deliver on climate commitments and prevent the worst impacts of climate change. COP28 is chaired by the United Arab Emirates under the presidency of Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.

This year, COP28 marks the completion of the Global Stocktake, the first assessment of global progress in implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement. The conclusions are stark: the world is not on track to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. While the global stocktake acknowledges that countries are developing plans for a net-zero emissions future and that the transition to clean energy is accelerating, it also makes clear that the transition is not happening fast enough to limit warming within current targets.

A recent report by UN Climate Change shows that national climate action plans (NDCs) would collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2 percent below 2019 levels by 2030, while the science is clear that a 43 percent reduction is needed.

As countries prepare to submit their revised national climate action plans in 2025, the global stocktake should serve as a catalyst for greater ambition to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The latter sets out measures to accelerate emissions reductions, strengthen resilience to the impacts of climate change, and provide the support and finance needed for the transformation.

"More than 160 world leaders are gathering in Dubai, because only cooperation between nations can redirect humanity in this race. But COP28 cannot be a photo-op. Leaders must deliver: the message is clear", said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change. "And when leaders leave Dubai after the opening summit, their message to their negotiators must be equally clear: don't go home without an agreement that makes a real difference in the fight against climate change".

Climate finance is at the heart of this transformation. Replenishing the Green Climate Fund, doubling finance for adaptation, and launching the Loss and Damage Fund are critical to limiting temperature rise to below 1.5°C and leaving no one behind.

"The reality is that without much greater financing for developing countries, the renewable energy revolution will remain a mirage in the desert. COP28 must make it a reality", added Stiell.

Progress on climate finance at COP28 will be critical to building confidence in other negotiating arenas and laying the groundwork for the new, even more ambitious collective quantified goal on climate finance due next year. It will also lay the foundation for a just and inclusive transition to renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels.

In the face of rising conflicts and tensions around the world, Stiell emphasized the need to work together to combat climate change, an area where nations can effectively collaborate to ensure a sustainable future for people and the planet.

"We have no time to waste. We must take urgent action now to reduce emissions. At COP28, every country and every business will be held accountable, guided by our guiding star: limiting temperature rise to minus 1.5 degrees Celsius", said COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.

"All parties must be prepared to take an ambitious decision in response to the global balance that will reduce emissions while protecting people, lives and livelihoods", Al Jaber added.

"It is vital to build on what has been achieved so far, but most importantly to implement what we have already agreed", said Egyptian Foreign Minister and outgoing COP27 President Sameh Shoukry. "We cannot achieve our common goals without everyone on board, especially the global South".

"We need to start implementing climate justice and provide the necessary tools, which we already agreed in Sharm el-Sheikh, to finance loss and damage, including the creation of a fund. One of the most important outcomes of COP28 is that the fund is fully operational and financed", Shoukry added.

MAIN EVENTS AT COP28
The World Climate Action Summit (WCAS), hosted by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, brought together heads of state and government for the first part of the COP28 High-Level Segment on December 1 and 2. The high-level segment will continue on December 9 and 10.

The WCAS provides an opportunity for Heads of State and Government to prepare the ground for COP28, build on the decisions of previous Conferences of the Parties, make climate commitments and promote coordinated action to address climate change.

The COP28 Presidency will hold open consultations on the thematic areas, inviting input from the wide range of stakeholders attending the conference.

Source: UN News - Climate Change

For further information visit the website: https://unfccc.int/cop28

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