More than 70,000 people are expected to attend COP28

ABU DHABI – The 28th United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) is set to take place starting next Thursday in the United Arab Emirates, with an unprecedented number of participants. It will be marked by two major battles over financing the consequences of climate change and abandoning fossil fuels, the excessive use of which by humanity leads to new climate crises.اضافة اعلان

According to Al-Mamlaka TV, more than 70,000 people, an unprecedented number compared to previous COP conferences, including Pope Francis and King Charles III, will attend.

This includes a large gathering of heads of state, governments, ministers, representatives of non-governmental organizations, business owners, pressure groups, and journalists.

The international conference will commence on November 30 and continue until December 12, focusing on climate issues under the auspices of the United Nations.

The conference will start with an opening ceremony on November 30, followed by a two-day "Leaders' Summit," during which around 140 heads of state and government will deliver speeches, leading to approximately 10 days of discussions. The exact end date of the conference is still tentative, as it is often extended by a day or two.

One highly anticipated decision from COP28, expected to be officially adopted unanimously, concerns the first "assessment" of the Paris Agreement on climate change reached in 2015. A technical report published by the United Nations in September concluded, as expected, that current climate efforts are insufficient, and it raises the issue of phasing out fossil fuel sources.

However, around 200 countries will decide based on lessons learned from this technical assessment. Dozens of countries aim to adopt an explicit call to reduce the use of fossil fuels, a goal that none of the previous climate conferences has successfully achieved.

The conference is expected to be crucial as it coincides with what is projected to be the world's hottest year ever recorded in 2023, exacerbating droughts, fires, floods, and other disasters.

The current climate commitments of countries worldwide are far from sufficient, putting the world on a catastrophic warming path of between 2.5 and 2.9 degrees Celsius during this century, according to recent estimates by the United Nations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to "double their efforts in an exceptional way, with record aspirations and record steps and a record for emissions reduction."

Phasing out fossil fuels?
Several contentious issues will be addressed during the conference, against the backdrop of international divisions over the Israeli war on Gaza and the Ukrainian file.

Lola Vallejo, Director of the Climate Program at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (Iddri) in France, emphasized that if she had to remember two main things from this Conference of the Parties (COP), they would be the issue of phasing out fossil fuels and the issue of losses and damages.

Regarding fossil fuel sources, the main cause of climate change, coal was mentioned for the first time in 2021 at COP26 in Glasgow, UK. This year, the topic will be central, but the devil is in the details, especially concerning the possible timeline for the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels and the space allocated for controversial carbon capture technologies.

It's important to note that non-governmental organizations are calling for commitments on fossil fuels in an "official decision" issued by COP28, thus a binding text endorsed by the United Nations.

The UAE's presidency of the conference will intensify "voluntary commitments" by tripling the use of renewable energy by 2030 in sectors such as nuclear, agriculture, health, and others. However, these texts lack the binding force of a UN text adopted by all countries at the conclusion of the conference.

Deep divisions
The will of the UAE presidency for the conference is to engage parties with a large number of voluntary commitments. This is of great concern because the COP is a global assessment conference, and therefore, it is a conference for assuming responsibility, not a conference for voluntary commitments.

Another issue that divides opinions is the "Loss and Damage" climate fund for the most affected countries by climate change. COP27, held last year in Egypt, recently approved the establishment of this fund, against the backdrop of sharp tensions between northern and southern countries.

In early November, a fragile settlement was reached to temporarily establish the fund at the World Bank. However, crucial issues such as the value of the funds, contributions, and beneficiary countries still need to be resolved in Dubai.

These issues deepen the existing divisions in the world, given the tense geopolitical situation. However, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, reminded us that there can be no "break" in the climate issue.


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