Five things that happened on day one of Cop28
There were plenty of talking points as day one of the climate conference wrapped up. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
A boost to the credibility of Cop28 following a week of doubt about the UN climate change summit's host's bona fides occurred when text was agreed on richer nations paying their fair share into a fund for poorer nations to tackle the fallout from major climate-related disasters.
"Loss and damage” refers to the consequences of climate change that go beyond what people can adapt to, while “climate finance” refers to major nations paying a fairer share towards climate change bolstering in smaller nations.
At Cop27 in Egypt last year, such a fund was agreed for the first time. At Cop28 in Dubai, an agreement was reached on the first day on how nations would pay into it.
Host nation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coughed up $100m, while the EU pledged $245m, boosted by a $100m contribution from Germany.
Aid organisations were pleasantly surprised, if cautious, that such a meaningful symbolic victory happened so quickly, considering the controversy around the true intentions around the UAE as hosts.
Ross Fitzpatrick, Christian Aid Ireland’s Policy and Advocacy officer, said the agreement on a loss and damage fund is an important and welcome step, but there is still huge work to be done to ensure it’s adequately resourced and effective.
“The final text agreed at Cop28 leaves a lot open. The fund is voluntary with no clear obligation to pay, no specific targets on the amount of finance required, and no clear deadlines.
"It does not make explicit reference to the historical responsibility of the wealthiest, high-polluting countries to take the lead on providing finance, which has long been a key principle of climate justice.
“The fact that the World Bank is to be the interim host is also a concern for many developing countries, and will need to be closely scrutinised to ensure that the most vulnerable communities can actually access funds, which should be paid as grants, not debt-building loans.
“This fund could be a historic step towards addressing the inequality underpinning the climate crisis, but it does not deliver climate justice yet.
"The crucial test will be whether wealthy, high-polluting countries, including Ireland, take the lead with significant financial pledges to fill it, instead of just repackaging existing commitments, and whether key promises around access and oversight are met.”
Despite the strong start, there were groans from environmental activists and climate scientists at the host nation's insistence on more fossil fuel production.
Cop28 president Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who has faced huge criticism for his ties to oil and gas, was exposed earlier this week by the for planning secret deals with 27 countries for even more fossil fuel production in the years ahead.
Initially not denying the report, Mr al-Jaber finally refuted it as Cop28 opened, despite documentary evidence to the contrary.
He also claimed that fossil fuel can have a part to play in the transition to a low-emissions world, despite incontrovertible evidence that greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas are the worst offenders towards global warming.
"It is essential that no issue is left off the table. And yes, as I have been saying, we must look for ways and ensure the inclusion of the role of fossil fuels," he said, adding that oil and gas companies have "stepped up to join this game-changing journey" towards net zero emissions - yet again, despite all evidence to the contrary.
This year will now be the hottest ever, it was confirmed as day one of Cop28 began.
2023 has shattered climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation and despair, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Data until the end of October shows that the year was about 1.4C above the pre-industrial 1850-1900 baseline.
The difference between 2023 and 2016 and 2020 - which were previously ranked as the warmest years - is such that the final two months are very unlikely to affect the ranking, the WMO said.
According to the Paris Agreement of 2015, reached at Cop21, a 1.5C rise in temperatures was set as the limit for the rise globally compared to 1850-1900, in order to stave off the very worst fallout from climate change.
The past nine years, 2015 to 2023, were the warmest on record, according to the WMO.
The warming El Niño event is likely to further fuel the heat in 2024 because El Niño typically has the greatest impact on global temperatures after it peaks, it warned.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has set the tone for world leaders before they address Cop28 on Friday and Saturday.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to speak on Saturday, along with the likes of Pope Francis and French president Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Guterres, who has become known for incendiary soundbites regarding the dangers of climate change in recent years, said: "This year we have seen communities around the world pounded by fires, floods and searing temperatures. Record global heat should send shivers down the spines of world leaders.
"We have the roadmap to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5C and avoid the worst of climate chaos. But we need leaders to fire the starting gun at Cop28 on a race to keep the 1.5C limit alive.
"By setting clear expectations for the next round of climate action plans and committing to the partnerships and finance to make them possible; by committing to triple renewables and double energy efficiency; and committing to phase out fossil fuels, with a clear time frame aligned to the 1.5C limit,” he said.
SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE
Check out our Sustainability and Climate Change Hub where you will find the latest news, features, opinions and analysis on this topic from across the various Irish Examiner topic desks and their team of specialist writers and columnists.
