In less than 30 days... countries are preparing for COP 28 on climate

Weather of Arabia - Countries facing the growing repercussions of climate change and facing several geopolitical crises are showing activity in trying to overcome differences between them on issues such as fossil energy sources and solidarity between northern and southern countries. These efforts come just one month before the COP 28 Conference of the Parties on Climate Change is held in Dubai, which is considered the most important since COP21 held in Paris.

cup 28

Four weeks before the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), scheduled to be held in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, which is expected to formally declare that the set targets have not been achieved. In the Paris Agreement so far, ministers from around fifty countries are meeting in the United Arab Emirates on Monday and Tuesday in closed-door preparatory meetings that are generating great interest.

There are many research topics , from abandoning fossil energy sources to financing the energy transition process and sharing responsibilities between the developed countries responsible for the bulk of pollution and the emerging countries that cause them, as well as solidarity with the countries most vulnerable to the repercussions of climate change.

These vital key issues must be considered during humanity's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, to contribute to more ambitiously achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aim to keep global temperature increases below 1.5°C since the beginning of the era. Industrial.

It's hard to know where we will be a month from now in the Middle East

As the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, Alden Meyer, an expert at the E3G Center, expressed in a statement to Agence France-Presse the difficulty of predicting the future of the situation in the Middle East during the next month. He pointed out that this dispute may further complicate multilateral cooperation in general, especially in light of the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, tensions between China and the United States, as well as the debt crisis and other global issues.

Eight years after the Paris Agreement, in 2023 we will see an additional temperature rise of 1.5°C over a one-year period. At the same time, the oceans recorded record temperature levels six months ago. On land, the occurrence of heat waves, fires, hurricanes and floods has increased, greatly affecting the lives of citizens.

In this context, attention and criticism are directed towards the COP28 meetings hosted by the United Arab Emirates.

More than 80 thousand people participate in COP28

More than 80,000 people and five thousand journalists are expected to participate in this conference, which is unprecedented. So, in addition to the negotiators at the current climate conference, are the participants in the huge economic exhibition that is being held on the sidelines of the climate negotiations. Participants include scientists, NGOs and delegates from 198 signatory countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The UAE presidency of the conference aspires to attract a record number of country leaders in the sessions held on the first and second of December. It is said that the presence of rare figures such as Chinese President Xi Jieping, in addition to the participation of Pope Francis in the conference, is unprecedented.

Although global carbon emissions, especially from sources such as coal, oil and gas, have not begun to decline, progress has been made since the Paris Agreement.

In the period following the signing of the Paris Agreement, the world was heading towards a temperature rise of between 2.9 and 3.1 degrees Celsius by 2100. Thanks to improvement in some aspects, warming projections are currently closer to 2.8 degrees Celsius according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , and reaches 2.4 degrees if states’ obligations are respected.

However, these pledges need to be increased to avoid critical transitions such as melting polar ice , retreating ice sheets, and thawing permafrost, which pose a serious threat to the environment and humanity.

COP28 provides an opportunity to accelerate the transition by building a sustainable energy system

“COP28 provides an opportunity to accelerate the transition by building a sustainable energy system with rapid decarbonization, with the aim of maintaining the 1.5°C target,” COP28 Chairman Sultan Al Jaber noted in his recent letter to negotiators.

On the other hand, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is investing $150 billion over five years to increase fossil fuel production.

The issue of the gradual transition from fossil energy is an important topic of discussion at the COP28 meetings, which are among the most important activities in the context of the Paris Agreement, which seeks to achieve a transition towards energy sustainability and maintain low levels of thermal emissions.

Island countries find themselves in a position to push for a freeze on fossil energy sources, while demanding that the European Union accelerate their abandonment. At the same time, other countries are seeking a “just transition” that gives them more time to transition so that it does not negatively impact their development. Fossil energy producing countries are promoting the idea of “clean fossil energy” based on carbon storage and emissions trading technologies, sparking widespread controversy.

In this context, the strong growth of renewable energy sources is encouraging. A deal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 appears to be becoming more realistic, thanks to major investments from the US, China and the European Union known as the Green Deal.

However, any final agreement depends on the progress that will be achieved in the field of financing and solidarity with developing countries, which is stipulated in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to which the states party must adhere.

However, stalled negotiations on the formation of a “loss and damage” fund, the adoption of which was a landmark achievement at COP27 and which is considered a red line for developing countries, indicate that there is great danger in the absence of progress. Experts warn that if negotiations falter, reliance may be placed on declarations and sub-alliances that cannot replace reaching an ambitious agreement on important issues such as the transition from fossil energy and issues of loss and damage.