Over a two-week period, Dubai, the conference venue, witnessed 70,000 participants including delegates from 200 countries, activists, scientists and climate negotiators. The event started on the heels of the World Meteorological Organisation provisionally announcing that the average rise in earth’s temperature reached 1.4. C, dangerously close to the 1.5. C committed during the Paris COP, 7 years ago.
The earth is heating up dangerously fast. A small increment in global temperature means an increase in extreme weather events, displacement of communities, breach in sea levels and the melting of the poles. This will impact livelihoods, health and longevity – that too disproportionately. The Paris agreement was landmark in setting the targets of limiting earth’s temprature to a 1.5 degree rise but the outcomes of conferences have not need been acted upon.
This COP28 was the one that would include the ‘Global Stocktake’ on where we stand on fossil fuel cuts and how the world (mostly United States and other developed countries) have fared on this front. The three major outcomes of this conference were: a deal to move away from fossil fuel, a significant loss and damage fund and the pledge to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity.
Goodbye fossil fuels
73 per cent of global emissions are from energy, specifically coal and natural gas. Calling it the UAE Consensus, nearly 200 countries signed a landmark agreement to ramp up renewable energy usage and phase out fossil fuels by 2035. This is the first time the term fossil fuel has been explicitly used rather than the earlier vague terms. The consensus was led by the United States, EU and the UAE but faced backlash from India, Nigeria and oil exporters like Saudi. While it is notable that a clear definition has been given on the imperative for large nations to act on fossil fuel reduction, it is questionable whether this is enough. The detailed note mentions ending coal production and not setting up new coal power plants – both of which are potential reasons why India has not committed to it. Over the next two years, the countries will have to come up with a blueprint for action. It is ironic that this is similar to what they had to do since the Paris agreement and even seven years after, they are back to square one. What’s on paper vs real climate action seem to have parallel timelines!
Green Energy Transitions
Cutting down fossil fuels for energy production and consumption implies that green energy with a focus on renewables must be ramped up. It has been committed during the COP28 to triple renewable energy production capacity by 2030. According to the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, countries have to “double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements from around 2 per cent to over 4 per cent, every year until 2030. While India did not sign the fossil fuel phasing out commitment, in the G20 summit earlier this year, committed to treble its renewable energy production within the same timeline. This is possible given our geographical spread and advantage of tapping into hydro, hydel and solar power. But it does not come without its share of challenges that are global in nature. This includes – necessity to develop sufficient infrastructure, creating an efficient and large spread grid, having workers with sufficient domain knowledge for repair and maintenance, utilising these alternative energy sources efficiently for running large scale industries, cascading renewables to household utilisation and construction and finally trickling down the benefits and usage to the community at large.
Loss and Damage Fund
Climate change without the mention of climate justice is unfair. It is well known that poorer and developing nations are more vulnerable to effects and impacts of climate change despite contributing the least to it. The fund, one of the key highlights of the COP28, is to the tune of USD 750 million pledged by UAE, Germany and USA. To be managed by the World Bank, there is still much to decode on what exactly the fund will be utilised for and which countries will benefit from this. We can at least think that some countries that have milked fossil fuels have come to terms with the damage caused and want to give back, but it is not enough. A transparent process with clear definitions and renewed yearly commitments to funding is necessary to ensure some small nations especially islands do not submerge.
Time is of essence when it comes to climate. I strongly feel rather than to jargonise climate change, we should act and keep reviewing where we stand and course correct to create sustainable models. I have been to a COP (24th in Katowice, Poland) and understand that policy makers globally and COP host countries, have their own agendas for the outcomes. But global collaboration coupled with on-ground action, empowered local voices and change at individual level are important to bring about a just solution. The previous COP in Egypt floated the term loss and damage fund that was the talk of the town. It is promised that at the next COP in Baku, Azerbaijan, the conversation would move from fossil fuel to a carbon budget.
