2023-11-30 02:57:09
The XXVIII Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) will start this Thursday, November 30, in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) where, until December 12nearly 200 countries will put on the table the cards of truth of their commitment against the climate emergency, adopted in 2015 in the Paris Agreement with which the international community set the objective of limiting the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius thermal at the end of the century.
The international community meets in an oil country that, however, defends its commitment to climate action and its advanced process of the national economy to decouple from fossil fuels. Critics point to Dubai for its election as president of Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the country’s minister of industry and advanced technology and president of the Emirati state oil company.
One of the issues that make this event one of the most important since the Paris COP is the fact that each country must report on its compliance to reduce CO2 emissions, address mitigation and adaptation
One of the issues that make this event one of the most important since the Paris COP is the fact that in 2023 each country must report on its compliance to reduce CO2 emissions, address mitigation and adaptation, as well as its financial contribution to finance climate action in developing countries within the framework of the loss and damage mechanism.
Complex international context
All of this occurs in a complex international context, marked by the war in Ukraine, now also because of the war between Hamas and Israelthe difficult global economic and energy situation and in a year in which the severe impacts of climate change have become evident in all corners of the planet in the form of droughts, floods, fires and other types of adverse weather and climate events.
At the same time, throughout the year and especially in these previous weeks, they have been made known very discouraging results like those of UN World Environment Program (UNEP) which indicates that the sum of efforts made so far by the international community will lead to an increase in global temperature of 2.9ºC by the end of the century, that is, almost double what was promised.
The UN denounces that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by 1.2% between 2021 and 2022, and warns that this “worrying” trend of “insufficient” action in mitigation leads to “paths of greater social inequality “
The UN thus denounces that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by 1.2% between 2021 and 2022, up to 57.4 gigatonnes of CO2 and warns that this “worrying” trend of “insufficient” action in mitigation , leads to “paths of greater social inequality.”
Reduce CO2 emissions by 28% by 2030
In fact, the total implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) will lead to exceeding pre-industrial levels by 2.5ºC, with a 66% probability. The organization estimates that it will be necessary globally to reduce CO2 emissions by 28% between now and 2030 to limit the global temperature increase to 2ºC with a 66% chance and a 42% chance to achieve the goal of 1.5ºC at the end of the century. This, in absolute terms, means cutting an additional 22 gigatonnes of CO2 to meet the objective of the 1.5ºC thermal increase limit.
On November 17, 2ºC of global warming was reached, which to date is the largest deviation from the estimated measurement for the pre-industrial period. Global temperature records are being broken with alarming regularity
However, the director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed that on November 17, 2ºC of global warming was reached, which to date is the largest deviation from the estimated measurement for the pre-industrial period. Its director, Carlo Buontempo, has described this data as “anecdotal” but warns that it underlines the “proximity” to the internationally agreed limits.
“World temperature records are being broken with alarming regularity,” warns Buontempo.
At the beginning of October, Madrid hosted a Climate Summit in which 40 countries participated and that ended without a common declarationbut in which the third vice president, Teresa Ribera, and the general director of the International Energy Agency (IEA)Faith Birol, called for cutting the fossil fuels. For Birol, its elimination is an “absolute necessity.”
More global efforts
In global terms, the IEA urges triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency by 2030 so that the countries’ commitments are credible.
Key issues will be financing, replenishing the Green Climate Fund, doubling financial resources for adaptation and launching the loss and damage fund are critical to limiting temperature rise to less than 1. 5°C, leaving no one behind
Precisely, COP28 Director Majid Al Suwaidihas claimed that the UN climate summits “do not need more negotiators, but rather that the parties fulfill their commitments” and that these give results that allow rebuilding “trust”, recovering the “hope, optimism and excitement” that there was after the Paris Climate Agreement so that the world’s population can “feel proud.”
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has demanded that COP29 not be “a photo op”: “Leaders must fulfill what they promised: the message is clear,” he insists and hopes that when this meeting ends the negotiators return home with an agreement that marks “the real difference”.
With this call to action, Stiell puts on the table that Key issues will be financing, replenishing the Green Climate Fund, doubling financial resources for adaptation and launching the loss and damage fund are critical to limiting temperature rise to less than 1, 5°C, leaving no one behind.
“Without much greater funding for developing countries, the renewable energy revolution will remain a mirage in the desert. COP28 must make it a reality”he stated this Wednesday.
For Spain, this summit should be sufficiently ambitious and with results that must include an increase in ambition in mitigation, progress in reducing subsidies for fossil fuels, increasing adaptation measures and implementation through the mechanisms and sufficient economic amounts to comply with climate financing commitments, as well as for the implementation of the Loss and Damage Mechanism. Another important issue at this summit will be the Just Transition work program.
Climate credibility and respect for human rights
Environmental NGOs are very critical of the organization of the Summit in a country with an oil tradition and ask COP28 for “climate credibility” and respect for human rights, with results regarding the end of fossil fuels and climate financing.
Spain will have a country pavilion and a delegation during the two weeks of the Summit formed by the negotiators of the Spanish Climate Change Office, the third vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, very knowledgeable about this international context and highly appreciated for her ability and effort to achieve agreements.
Specifically, Spain occupies the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Unionand as head of the Government and in the role of representative of the Twenty-seven, the president, Pedro Sánchez will attend the opening day of the Climate Action Summit this Friday.
In it, official Spanish sources have announced that Sánchez will highlight the country’s strong commitment to the fight against climate changewhich he defined at his investiture as one of the priorities of this legislature; will advocate for peaking global GHG emissions in 2025 and is expected to make new funding announcements for adaptation and the Loss and Damage Mechanism.
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