COP28 – we had 27 conferences already and still no real outputs

UAE Dubai’s COP28: Nations around the world have taken measures towards dealing with the climate catastrophe, but with time its consequences have only worsened

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 

Known as the Conference of Parties, the COP is a series of United Nations climate change conferences, which have been running since 1995. The goal of these conferences is to review the progress made by the members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to limit and mitigate climate change.

Since then, the world has made great strides in the battle against climate change and its harmful effects on the environment. We are now better equipped to comprehend the science underlying climate change, evaluate its effects, and create instruments to address its causes and effects.

The last COP was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt hosting several collective commitments that were made by the nations involved. For this year’s COP28, the intended venue served will be Dubai Expo City.

An Arabic nation for worldwide unity

The UAE will host the COP28 from the 30th of November until the 12th of December 2023 highlighting the efforts being made by the government to turn the economy into one powered by clean and renewable energy sources, as well as technical developments and climate-smart measures.  

The summit’s primary focus will be on the economic topic for comprehensive climate action with over 80,000 people attending, including 140 heads of state and government and over 5,000 media professionals. 

According to the UAE, hosting COP28 is a privilege, and it comes as a recognition of the country’s environmental-friendly efforts over the last three decades. 

The UAE hosting COP28 – the recognition of the country’s environmental-friendly efforts over the last three decades

Since 1989, when it ratified the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the UAE has been committed to combating climate change. Following that, it joined the UNFCCC in 1995 and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2005.

Not only hosting one of the most influential international summits concerning climate change and environmental crises but their efforts in taking steps to maximize renewable energy resources joining the Global Methane Pledge and also working on achieving their 2050-year goal of a carbon-neutral country in a little over twenty years. 

In efforts to achieve that goal, the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has developed a roadmap called the Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap, which outlines detailed strategies to position the country as a leading supplier of hydrogen through promoting low-carbon sectors.

A conflict of interest, or is it? Sultan Al-Jaber appointed as COP28 president-designate 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s close confidante and long-term climate envoy, Sultan Al-Jaber, and ADNOC CEO was appointed as COP28 president-designate with many believing that he would play an instrumental part in intergovernmental negotiations to achieve unanimity at the conference.

Upon his appointment, climate activists and civil society groups expressed their displeasure at such a decision, many called on Al-Jaber to relinquish his role as ADNOC CEO stating that it represents a clear conflict of interest with the big position he has to uphold for COP28. 

Activists have even compared his election to asking ‘arms dealers to lead peace talks’ after authorities publicized his candidature in January. However, his appointment by the UAE, a significant Mideast ally, was supported by both U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and France’s finance minister.

While the oil tycoon runs a firm that pumps about 4 million barrels of petroleum per day with plans to increase production to 5 million barrels per day, he has also been responsible for tens of billions of dollars being invested or allocated towards renewable energy and its industry.

The looming threat of greenhouse gas emissions

Globally, the elevated levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere are causing havoc and endangering lives, economies, health, and food. The world is still a long way towards limiting global temperature rise to less than 2°C, as originally concurred in the Paris Agreement. 

With a 1990 baseline, some countries emit more, some emit the same, and others have even managed to emit less. According to studies done, countries are obligated to decrease GHG emissions by 30 gigatons every year by the year 2030 if they are to fulfill their end of the agreement. Although essential solutions exist, additional emissions are currently infiltrating the atmosphere, making it increasingly difficult to preserve a safe planet. 

World Bank: tracking countries’ commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions

Climate change is more interconnected now than ever with the world’s other main challenges, both driving these issues as well as serving a vital role in how we strive to resolve them. In the wake of Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, this has not only prompted a shift away from fossil fuels, but it has also triggered worldwide inflation and a global food security food crisis, pushing an already strained global food system to the brink.

Before COP 27, the World Bank President stated that the organization was working with its shareholders to develop a variety of measures to combat climate change. Development professionals recommend that the United Nations should press the World Bank to assume a more prominent part in keeping track of different countries’ commitments towards lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.

COP28’s green initiatives

High-income countries have yet to succeed in achieving the $100 billion adaptation financing objective set in 2009 at COP 15 for the Loss and Damage Agreement, which aims to assist low-income countries bearing the brunt of climate change. Despite a daily loss of more than $200 million due to climate change, COP 27 negotiators failed to reach an agreement on the adaptation of money concerning that topic. 

COP 28 will undoubtedly see the establishment of a framework for the global goal of adaptation. This will benefit people whose livelihoods are directly dependent on a favorable climate, such as farmers.

The Food and Agriculture Organization: cut emissions from the food and agriculture sector

At COP 27, a new food and agricultural security plan was developed. The program agenda of the food and land use coalition includes fighting for a better outcome at the Global Stocktake and COP 28. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization is gearing up to present an approach to cut emissions from the food and agriculture sector in compliance to keep temperature rises over 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

The project is led by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, with the United Nations as a founding member. It pledges to raise the total of the $8 billion funding for climate-conscious agricultural developments to $10 billion by COP 28. 

The role of the ocean and marine life as a whole – an issue to be addressed at COP28

With the goal of this proposal to spend heavily on climate-smart agriculture and food systems during the following five years of funding, the UAE made a contribution of a further one billion dollars to this initiative.  

Another issue that is expected to be addressed at COP 28, is the role of the ocean and marine life as a whole. The event’s host, UAE, is currently working on their Net-Zero 2050 policy, taking serious steps to rebuild and enhance ecosystems which include seagrasses, mangroves, and salt marshes. 

The country targets to plant 100 million mangroves by the end of the decade, an agreement named NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) that was adopted from the Paris Agreement. 

It is anticipated that marine and oceanic studies will be put once again on the agenda and ‘mainstreamed’ into public consciousness, as well as acknowledged as an important source of answers for mankind for the decades to come.

COP 28 – A climate emergency

Massive worldwide expenditures aimed at reducing emissions and increasing essential resilience would need a shift in leveraging public and private financing. This includes more concessional lending, which can cut risk and deliver finance from the private sector to developing and emerging nations with efficacy.

In order to achieve this goal with success, all countries require strong climate legislation that speeds the green transition, as well as improved structures to encourage stakeholder cooperation and risk-sharing. Climate funding may be scaled up by organizations’ collaborative efforts so that the billions of dollars required are available as soon as possible.

Twenty-seven COPs later, the urgency with which we must act regarding reducing greenhouse gas emissions still prevails. Nations around the world have taken measures towards dealing with the climate catastrophe, but with time its consequences have only worsened.

Taking necessary steps to assist those in need by adapting to the negative effects of climate change and finding the appropriate formula that would ensure the availability of necessary means of implementation that are indispensable for developing countries. 

COP – Conference of Parties

The COP is a series of United Nations climate change conferences, which have been running since 1995. The goal of these conferences is to review the progress made by the members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to limit and mitigate climate change.

Farah Hassan