UNITED NATIONS, Dec 13 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautiously welcomed the outcome of Cop28 in Dubai where nearly 200 nations approved on Wednesday a roadmap for \u201ctransitioning away from fossil fuels\u201d \u2013 a first for a UN climate conference \u2013 but experts said the deal is still stopped short of the persistent call for a \u201cphaseout\u201d of oil, coal and gas. Reacting to the adoption of the outcome document, he said that mention of the world\u2019s leading contributor to climate change comes after many years in which the discussion of this issue was blocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe era of fossil fuels must end \u2014 and it must end with justice and equity,\u201d the UN chief said. \u201cTo those who opposed a clear reference to a phaseout of fossil fuels in the COP28 text, I want to say that a fossil fuel phaseout is inevitable whether they like it or not. Let\u2019s hope it doesn\u2019t come too late,\u201d added the Secretary-General. The latest edition of the annual UN climate conference has been running in Dubai since 30 November, when world leaders, including Pakistan\u2019s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, attended its opening segment. COP28 had been scheduled to close on Tuesday, but intense overnight negotiations on whether the outcome would include a call to \u201cphase down\u201d or \u201cphase out\u201d planet-heating fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal forced the conference into overtime. This main sticking point pit activists and climate-vulnerable countries against some larger nations for much of the past two weeks. In his statement, Guterres said limiting global heating to 1.5\u00b0C, one of the keystone targets set in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, \u201cwill be impossible without the phase-out of all fossil fuels\u201d, and this is being recognized by a growing and diverse coalition of countries. The negotiators at COP28 also agreed on commitments to triple renewables capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030 and made progress in relation to adaptation and finance.<\/p>\n
Other progress was also made in relation to adaptation and finance, \u2013 including the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, even though financial commitments are very limited, according to the Secretary-General. But the UN chief stressed that much more is needed to deliver climate justice to those on the frontlines of the crisis. \u201cMany vulnerable countries are drowning in debt and at risk of drowning in rising seas. It is time for a surge in finance, including for adaptation, loss and damage and reform of the international financial architecture.\u201d He said the world cannot afford \u201cdelays, indecision, or half measures\u201d and insisted that \u201cmultilateralism remains humanity\u2019s best hope.\u201d \u201cIt is essential to come together around real, practical and meaningful climate solutions that match the scale of the climate crisis.\u201d UN climate chief Simon Stiell said, \u201cgenuine strides forward\u201d were made at COP28, but the initiatives announced in Dubai are \u201ca climate action lifeline, not a finish line.\u201d Stiel said the Global Stocktake \u2013 which aims to help nations align their national climate plans with the Paris Agreement \u2013 had clearly revealed that progress is not fast enough, but it is \u201cundeniably\u201d gathering pace. Still, the current trajectory is just under three degrees of global warming equating to \u201cmass human suffering\u201d, according to the climate chief, which is why COP28 \u201cneeded to move the needle further\u201d. Speaking to reporters outside the main hall, Stiell said COP28 needed to signal a hard stop to humanity\u2019s core climate problem \u2013 \u201cfossil fuels and their planet burning pollution\u201d. \u201cWhile we didn\u2019t fully turn the page on the fossil fuel here in Dubai, this is clearly the beginning of the end\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis agreement is an ambitious floor, not a ceiling. So, the crucial years ahead must keep ramping up ambition and climate action\u201d. Here are some of the other highlights from COP28 and a snapshot of what happens next: \u2014 The loss and damage fund designed to support climate-vulnerable developing countries was brought to life on the first day of the COP. Countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars so far for the fund; \u2014 Commitments worth $3.5 billion to replenish the resources of the Green Climate Fund; \u2014 New announcements totaling over $150 million for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDC) and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) \u2014 An increase of $9 billion annually by the World Bank to finance climate-related projects (2024 and 2025); \u2014 Nearly 120 countries backed COP28 UAE Climate and Health Declaration to accelerate actions to protect people\u2019s health from growing climate impacts; \u2014 Over 130 countries have signed up to COP28 UAE Declaration on Agriculture, Food, and Climate to support food security while combatting climate change;
\nGlobal Cooling Pledge has been endorsed by 66 countries to reduce cooling-related emissions by 68% from today. The next round of national climate action plans \u2013 or Nationally Determined Contributions \u2013 is due in 2025, when countries are expected to have seriously boosted their actions and commitments. Azerbaijan was announced as the official host of COP29 \u2013 from November 11 to 22 next year \u2013 after receiving the backing of Eastern European states following the withdrawal by Armenia of its own bid. Despite multiple rounds of applause inside the plenary, not all delegations were pleased with the outcome of the climate talks.<\/p>\n
Civil society representatives and climate activists, as well as delegations from small island developing countries were visibly unhappy with the outcome. Anne Rasmussen, the Samoan representative and lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), pointed out that the decision was made during their absence in the plenary room as their group was still coordinating its response to the text. She lamented that they cannot \u201cafford to return to their islands with the message that this process has failed us.\u201d Underlining the importance of the Global Stocktake process, she said, \u201cThis first GST is of particular significance. It is the only GST that matters for ensuring that we can still limit global warming to 1.5C.\u201d Ms. Rasmussen bemoaned the lack of \u201ccourse correction\u201d and expressed disappointment over \u201cincremental advancement over business as usual, when what we really needed was an \u201cexponential step-change in our actions and support.\u201d Just after the release of the final document, Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International said: \u201cAfter decades of evasion, COP28 finally cast a glaring spotlight on the real culprits of the climate crisis: fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
A long-overdue direction to move away from coal, oil, and gas has been set.\u201d \u201cBut the resolution is marred by loopholes that offer the fossil fuel industry numerous escape routes, relying on unproven, unsafe technologies. Singh also pointed to what he saw as \u201chypocrisy of wealthy nations\u2026 as they continue to expand fossil fuel operations massively while merely paying lip service to the green transition.\u201d Developing countries still dependent on fossil fuels are, he said, left without robust guarantees for adequate financial support in their \u201curgent and equitable transition to renewable energy.\u201d \u201cWhile this COP recognized the immense financial shortfall in tackling climate impacts, the final outcomes fall disappointingly short of compelling wealthy nations to fulfill their financial responsibilities,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 13 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautiously welcomed the outcome of Cop28 in Dubai where nearly 200 nations approved on Wednesday a roadmap for \u201ctransitioning away from fossil fuels\u201d \u2013 a first for a UN climate conference \u2013 but experts said the […]<\/p>\n
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