The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, the 8th since the agreement, opened this Thursday, December 12 (on the vast campus of Expo City, decorated with trees and foliage, located on the outskirts of Dubai), under the vibrant recommendations of Emirati Sultan al-Jaber, President of COP28 to find a way to include fossil fuels responsibility for the consequences of climate change in the final agreement.” In his opening speech, he stressed the role of fossil fuels, which are highly emitting greenhouse gases. As the head of the national oil company Adnoc, he referred in particular to companies such as his, “I am grateful that they have accelerated the pace. But I have to say it’s not enough. And I know they can do so much more.”
the Egyptian Sameh Choukri, President of Cop 27’ is also expressed at the opening ceremony that took place late Thursday morning, before passing the torch to Sultan al-Jaber. “Let’s never lose sight of our North Star, the 1.5°C,” he said, applauded by the hearing. Other speakers included Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Jim Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
A crucial transition to limit warming to 1.5°C from the pre-industrial era and the objective of the Paris agreement were on the agenda. Finance was also a thorny issue, while expert groups estimate that the world must invest more than $3 trillion a year (about €2,737 billion) by 2030 to achieve the climate goals. So far, developed countries are far from it, whether it is investments for the energy transition or adaptation to the consequences of climate change.
At the same time, and at the same time, a press briefing was held by a climate justice organization, better known as PACJA, the Pan-African Alliance for Climate Justice. PACJA in its press briefing finds it inconsistent and unfair that Africa, which contributes very little to global greenhouse gas emissions, continues to suffer the harmful effects of climate change with impunity.” With this in mind, it calls for immediate and substantial action to address the glaring lack of adequate adaptation measures for the continent. The Alliance delegates were firm in their statements, advocating recognition and beyond, immediate and unconditional correction of the historical injustice facing African nations.
Everything will be decided in the next 15 days with more than 70,000 participants around the negotiating tables, a number to which must be added the multiple actors (companies, observers, activists, etc.) The 28th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate is expected to break the record for attendance at a COP, but also, as a result, the event’s carbon footprint, that is, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the organization.
The leaders’ summit on 1 and 2 December remains decisive for the future. Will be expected for a speech, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel, President of the European Council and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Initially expected, Pope Francis finally cancelled his trip for health reasons.
Still, “Today’s news on loss and damage is a good start for this UN climate conference. All governments and negotiators must use this momentum to achieve ambitious results here in Dubai,” said UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell at a press conference where the announcement was made.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the decision to operationalize the new Loss and Damage Fund. According to him, it is an “essential tool for ensuring climate justice.” “I call on leaders to make generous contributions and get the Fund and Climate Conference off to a solid start,” he said.
As a reminder, this fund is a long-standing demand from developing countries, which are at the forefront of climate change and are facing the cost of the ravages caused by ever-increasing extreme weather events, such as drought, flooding, coastal erosion, and so on.
After several years of intense negotiations at annual UN climate meetings, developed countries expressed support for the need to create this fund last year at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Sultan al-Jaber, president of the COP28 climate conference, reportedly said his country, the United Arab Emirates, would commit $100 million to the fund.
Germany would also have pledged a contribution of $100 million to the fund. The United States and Japan also announced their contribution to the fund.
This 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which began on Thursday 1st, will take place until Tuesday 12 December 2023.
Source: Senepress
