The United Nations climate summit in Dubai, known as Conference of Parties 28 (COP28) is giving leaders the opportunity to change course and create a better world for people, nature and the climate.
The 13-day conference, which began on Nov. 30, will have a curated selection of future-focused innovation covering multiple themes including artificial intelligence, satellite technology, big data, clean energy, industrial decarbonization, advanced materials, hydrogen, energy storage and much much more.
The climate crisis indeed has never been more discernible as now.
In 2023 alone, the world witnessed both its hottest day and hottest month in history, record-low Antarctic ice and extreme ocean temperatures.
Communities across the globe are feeling the effects in the form of sweltering heat waves, withering drought and scarce water supplies.
Developing nations, including the Philippines – those least responsible for fueling climate change – are experiencing the impacts most acutely.
At the Dubai summit, national governments and others will conclude the first Global Stocktake, and the results of their collective action to curb climate change.
The UN’s Global Stocktake synthesis report, released in September 2023, shows that despite some progress since the Paris Agreement was forged in 2015, the world is still far off track from reducing emissions enough to keep temperature rise to safe levels.
How policymakers, business leaders and others respond to the Global Stocktake findings at COP28 will help determine whether the world confronts the climate crisis, or continues to fall victim to it.
Other issues the parties are discussing is how to phase out fossil fuels – energy source formed in the Earth’s crust from decayed organic material like petroleum, coal and natural gas – and how to finance the energy transition in developing nations.
Climatologists are saying the toughest talks at COP28 have focus on the future role of fossil fuels, and whether countries should commit to start phasing out the use of CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas.
Countries agreed at COP26 to phase down the use of coal, but they have never agreed to quit all fossil fuels — the main source of planet-warming emissions.
The United States, European Union and many climate-vulnerable countries are insisting on a final COP28 deal that commits countries to phase out fossil fuels.
But the Group of 20 failed to agree on this point at their summit in July, and countries including Russia have said they would oppose a fossil fuel phase-out.
The UAE’s incoming COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber has said the phase down of fossil fuels is “inevitable,” countries are waiting to see if the UAE will push other oil-rich nations to back the idea during the Dubai summit.