Heads of state and government will be speaking at the COP28 summit in Dubai on Friday and Saturday. Credit…Sean Gallup/Getty Images
By David Gelles
World leaders called on Friday (1 December) for urgent action to slow global warming as the annual United Nations climate summit kicked into gear against a backdrop of two major wars and rising global temperatures.
King Charles III challenged the gathering in Dubai to take “genuine transformational action” to slow the spiral of greenhouse gas emissions, and the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, called for the total phase-out of fossil fuels, on the second day of the meeting, known as COP28.
Other heads of state and government will speak on Saturday and the event will continue for 10 days as negotiators from nearly every nation try to find common cause in the fight against climate change.
The meeting comes toward the end of what will almost certainly be the hottest year in recorded history. Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly driven by the burning of fossil fuels, have now warmed the planet by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Floods, fires, droughts and storms made worse by climate change are unleashing destruction around the world.
The leaders calling for swift action to reduce emissions face a daunting task. While many developed countries are installing more wind and solar power, global greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel demand continue to rise.
Any final agreement must be ratified by every country in attendance. The need for unanimous consent means that each word in the final document will be scrutinized. In previous years, representatives from oil producing nations have vetoed language calling for a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels.
Here’s what else to know:
- The summit officially opened Thursday with delegates reaching an agreement in principle on a fund that will help poor countries cope with climate disasters. Another big issue on the table at the meeting is an international effort to limit emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
- Speaking Friday, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, rebuked developed nations for “indiscriminately” exploiting the planet and pledged to redouble his nation’s shift away from fossil fuels.
- The meeting has drawn criticism for the heavy presence of oil and gas executives. The oil-rich host nation, the United Arab Emirates, has been accused of trying to strike oil deals on the sidelines of the summit. The president of the proceedings, Sultan Al Jaber, is the head of the Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc. In his opening remarks on Thursday, Mr. Al Jaber defended the presence of fossil fuel interests at COP28, saying: “Let history reflect the fact that this is the presidency that made a bold choice to proactively engage with oil and gas companies.”
The New York Times
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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