United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber attends a press conference at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 8, 2023.
Reuters Photo
Halfway through the UN Climate Summit (CoP28), which is taking place in Dubai, there is no visible progress on many of the issues that are being deliberated on. Many aspects relating to the Global Stocktake, the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and climate finance are under discussion. The operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund on the first day is the only progress that can be cited. The CoP28 presidency has said that the conference has set the pace for a “new era in climate action”. The initiatives, according to it, include the first-ever declarations on food systems transformation and health, declarations on renewable energy and efficiency, and plans to decarbonise heavy emitting industries. Around 11 pledges and declarations have been launched but these are not legally binding and not part of negotiations. On the substantial issues of discussion, there are major differences.
This CoP is expected to conclude the first-ever global stocktake, which is a review of the collective progress on the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. There are differences among rich countries and developing countries on what has been done, not just on what is to be done. There is a push to formulate the draft of the Global Stocktake document that commits all signatories to “an orderly and just phase-out of fossil fuels.” Developing countries are not comfortable with the language and implications and the bigger focus on coal. There is mention of a vague timeline for phase-out of all fossil fuels by the “mid-century”, and of coal by 2030, with an immediate stop to new coal-fired power generation. India and China are not ready for that, certainly not for stopping new coal projects.
There is no progress yet on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). It is a commitment under the Paris Agreement aimed at “enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change.” It is important for countries like India, which have experienced many extreme weather events. There is a view that the negotiations are focused more on mitigation than on adaptation, which is very important for the Global South. There continues to be a lack of clarity on climate finance, too. The rich countries have claimed that the promise of $100 billion has been delivered, but developing countries do not agree on that. That is because there is no agreed definition of climate finance. There are other issues, too. There is an impression that the fossil fuel lobby is trying to influence negotiations. There were also reports that the UAE itself had planned to use its role as the host as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals.