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| COP28 officially opens - between benefits and responsibilities, can the world be 'saved'?. In the photo: Jaenschwalde power plant near Peitz, Eastern Germany. (Source: Getty Images) |
According to the schedule of the host country UAE, important events will take place from November 30 to December 12, but may also be extended beyond the plan, as has happened in previous conferences, if negotiations are not yet concluded.
This year's 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) will face the hottest issues and pressures ever, while the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is warned to be "non-negotiable!
The main event of the conference will begin on December 1 with a two-day leaders’ summit, where around 140 heads of state and prime ministers will present their countries’ climate change plans. Some 70,000 delegates, from heads of state and government officials to experts, negotiators, business leaders, journalists, civil society groups, and climate activists from around the world, will gather to find answers to the question: “What can the world do to combat the worsening climate crisis?”
Crucial moment to act
COP28 comes at a pivotal moment for global action on climate change. Record-breaking temperatures and the devastating impacts of extreme weather events such as wildfires, floods, storms and droughts around the world are making the task of tackling climate problems increasingly urgent. The key question that needs to be addressed soon is what the world can do to ensure that the weather does not get much hotter and that climate change does not cause more damage.
Scientists say the world is running out of time to act to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as agreed at the Paris Agreement at COP21 in 2015. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says this target is crucial to avoid catastrophic consequences.
Speaking to the media, Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, stressed that COP28 is the last chance to make credible commitments to start cutting emissions from fossil fuels. “We need credible results in Dubai to start reducing emissions from oil, coal and gas. The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is non-negotiable.”
According to the UAE host country’s plan, COP28 will focus on four main objectives. Specifically, accelerating a just, orderly and equitable energy transition; tackling climate finance; putting nature, people’s lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and working to make COP28 the most inclusive conference ever.
Accelerating the energy transition is expected to be a key issue as countries remain divided over the world’s use of fossil fuels. The European Union (EU) is pushing for a world-first deal to phase out the global use of fossil fuels including coal, oil and gas.
However, other blocs and countries negotiating at COP28 are likely to oppose this. Major fossil fuel producers such as Saudi Arabia and developing countries currently rely on the fuel to power their economies.
In addition, climate finance is also expected to be an issue of interest for discussion. Previously, at COP27, participants agreed to establish a fund to pay for the losses that vulnerable countries have to bear due to the impacts of climate change.
COP28 is also the first time world leaders will come together to evaluate the implementation of the goals set at COP20 in 2015.
According to observers, the challenge for COP28 is very significant, because it is time for the world to seriously re-evaluate the entire process of implementing the contents of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change - a "historic" Agreement that for the first time established a binding goal for the whole world to limit the increase in global temperature.
Bridging the gap between commitment and action
COP28 attracted public attention right from the start, when controversy broke out regarding the event's venue. The UAE is one of the world's top 10 oil-producing countries. Meanwhile, the host also appointed the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and the CEO of a leading oil company as COP28 President.
Oil, like gas and coal, is a fossil fuel. It is a major contributor to climate change because it releases planet-warming greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide when it is burned for energy. In addition, Mr. Al Jaber’s oil company is still planning to expand its production. “This is the equivalent of appointing the CEO of a tobacco company to preside over a conference on curing cancer,” 350.org notes.
In response, Mr. Al Jaber said that he is uniquely positioned to push the oil and gas industry to act. In addition, he is also the chairman of Masdar Renewable Energy Company, which can oversee the development and application of clean technologies such as wind and solar power.
Mia Moisio of the New Climate Institute criticized that no major country has actually planned to increase its climate protection program this year. Even if all the commitments are implemented by 2030, the world is still heading for global warming of about 2.4 degrees by 2100, compared to pre-industrial times.
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| The key events of the COP28 Conference in the UAE will take place from November 30 to December 12, or longer. (Source: COP28) |
At COP27, the agreement that wealthy nations would have to contribute money to a climate fund to compensate them for the climate damage they cause was seen as a breakthrough. The fund will help countries particularly hard hit by climate change cope with its consequences. Now the fund must be filled as promised.
But there are still many unclear things, such as which countries will contribute money, how much will it contribute? Which countries will benefit and how much will they actually receive?
The 2015 Paris Agreement was groundbreaking at the time, says Oxfam’s Jan Kowalzig. But so far, the results have been mixed. Too little action has been taken. Many countries remain heavily dependent on coal, oil and gas, and have failed to make clear commitments to phase out fossil fuels at climate summits.
Will COP28 really deliver breakthrough results? Observers say that expectations for this are low, but instead of the old target, a new, more ambitious target may be agreed in Dubai, aiming to expand renewable energy and a specific source of finance for damage and loss caused by climate change.
It is not yet clear how the Paris Agreement is being implemented, but in-depth analysis shows that the world still has a long way to go to achieve its climate goals. According to the United Nations, instead of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the Earth is heading towards a temperature increase of nearly 3 degrees by the end of this century.
Even this increase can only be achieved if all countries’ commitments are met. Otherwise, the temperature rise will be even higher. It seems that countries’ actions are not matching their commitments. Therefore, a key question at COP28 will be how to close the gap between commitments and actions.
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