Upcoming COP28 to unite countries around ambitious action to meet global climate goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius
- President of the COP28 summit says everyone in the world must come to the table and work towards keeping its key climate target within reach
- He calls on countries to deliver on their commitments to climate finance in an effort to rebuild trust and create a platform for progress in Dubai
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In October this year, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber travelled to China and told gathered delegates that the country “is a powerhouse” in the fight against climate change.
Al Jaber, the United Arab Emirates’ climate envoy, spoke at the High-Level Forum on Green Development as part of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, saying: “China has the potential to lead the world in turning the goals of Paris into a solid and durable reality.”
Al Jaber will have the eyes of the world on him when he assumes the presidency of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be hosted in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.
The upcoming COP will be a decisive one. At COP21 in Paris, countries agreed to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees. COP28 will see the first Global Stocktake, a process established in the Paris Agreement to measure countries’ progress towards meeting climate goals and ambitions.
Scientific experts say the world is off track, as the planet has already warmed by about 1.3 degrees, so an urgent course correction is needed to achieve the set climate targets.
Against this backdrop, the COP28 Presidency has identified keeping 1.5 degrees within reach as the “North Star” of its agenda.
It is a daunting challenge, but there has been significant momentum building in critical areas over the weeks leading up to COP28.
One of the key pieces of the puzzle is delivering on historic climate action pledges, and it was announced in mid-November by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that developed nations are “likely” to have met their long-standing goal of providing US$100 billion in annual climate finance.
The news was warmly welcomed by the COP28 Presidency, which has consistently called on countries to deliver their fund commitments in an effort to rebuild trust between the Global North and South, and create a platform for progress in Dubai.
The announcement also builds upon significant success that has been recently achieved in relation to the Loss and Damage Fund. In early November, the COP28 Presidency hosted a breakthrough meeting where countries agreed on recommendations to operationalise the Fund, and during a visit to Brussels, the EU pledged to make a “substantial financial contribution”.
In addition to the positive announcement on climate finance, the news broke in November that the US and China – the countries with two of the most significant roles to play in achieving ambitious climate action – reached critical alignment on issues central to the COP agenda.
Following meetings in California, the US and Chinese governments published a statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis. This includes plans to triple global renewable capacity – in line with COP28’s renewable energy pledge – as well as plans to curb methane emissions, which are known to make one of the biggest impacts on climate change in the shortest period of time.
In his final Letter to Parties written before COP28, Al Jaber urged colleagues to use every single day until they meet in Dubai to make progress, and many countries have been seen heeding this call in meaningful ways across the world.
Now, with the conference about to convene, the focus is on turning this momentum into outcomes, which will only be achieved if countries demonstrate bold and ambitious leadership at the negotiating table.
China has a critical role to play in this, and Al Jaber has consistently commended its leadership and recognised the unique position that it holds as a country with the potential to lead the world in turning the goals of Paris into a solid and durable reality.
The COP28 Presidency has been clear that China’s leadership can inspire others to come together and act with solidarity at this year’s COP, which is what will be needed if the world is to overcome the challenges being faced.