COP28 is organized by UN Climate and the host country, the United Arab Emirates (AFP / Karim SAHIB)
COP28 opened to great excitement in Dubai on Thursday with the much-anticipated launch of a fund to offset climate losses and damage in vulnerable countries.
The major international climate conference officially opened in the oil and gas emirate as the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2023 is expected to be the hottest year on record.
The first major step forward at COP28, the establishment of the Fund to Financing Climate Losses and Damages in Vulnerable Countries, was adopted, a positive step in the hope of easing financial tensions between the North and South in parallel with the negotiations on fossil fuels.
This historic decision, which was greeted with a standing ovation by delegates from almost 200 participating countries, concretizes the most important outcome of COP27 in Egypt last year, where this fund was approved in principle but whose contours – much discussed – were not yet defined.
“This is a positive signal for the world and for our work,” said Sultan Al Jaber, Emirati President of COP28. “We made history today…The speed at which we did it is unprecedented, phenomenal and historic.”
– Billions or millions? –
It remains to be seen how much will be allocated to this fund, which, contrary to the original recommendation of developing countries, will be managed for the time being by the World Bank. The first promises began to rain: 225 million euros for the European Union (including the 100 million dollars announced by Germany), 100 million dollars for the Emirates, 10 million dollars for Japan, 17.5 million for the United States, up to 40 million pounds (approximately $50 million) for the United Kingdom…
Developed countries are also pushing to expand the donor base to include wealthy emerging economies such as China and Saudi Arabia.
Emirati President of COP28 Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber during the opening ceremony on November 30, 2023 in Dubai (AFP / Giuseppe CACACE)
Madeleine Diouf Sarr, president of the Group of Least Developed Countries, which represents 46 of the poorest countries, welcomed a decision of “tremendous importance for climate justice.” “But an empty fund cannot help our citizens,” she stressed, while losses amount to hundreds of billions.
“We expect promises in billions, not millions,” demanded Rachel Cleetus from the American group Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
“The work is far from finished,” responded the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis). “We will not rest until this fund is properly funded and begins to ease the burden on vulnerable communities.”
– “Common Good” –
Despite this rapid progress on this crucial issue, negotiators will likely still argue over other areas, namely the future of fossil fuels, against the backdrop of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
As a sign that the war is on people’s minds, the president of the previous conference, Sameh Choukri, head of Egyptian diplomacy, called for a short minute of silence at the beginning of the opening ceremony for “all civilians who died in the current conflict.” in the Gaza Strip.
His services said Israeli President Isaac Herzog would also use his visit to the COP to lead a series of diplomatic meetings aimed at releasing more hostages held by Hamas.
Mahmoud Abbas’ office told AFP in Ramallah on Thursday that, contrary to the announcement, the Palestinian Authority president would not travel to Dubai and would be represented by Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki.
The COP28 site in Dubai, November 30, 2023 (AFP / KARIM SAHIB)
More than 97,000 people (delegations, media, NGOs, lobbies, organizers, technicians, etc.) are accredited, twice as many as last year, and around 180 heads of state and government are expected here, according to the organizers. December 12th, theoretically end of the conference.
Pope Francis canceled his visit because of bronchitis, but called on Thursday in a message on the social network to “think about the common good (…) and not about the circumstantial interests of a few countries or companies.”
More than 140 heads of state and government will march to the podium on Friday and Saturday for speeches lasting several minutes to add political momentum to the byzantine negotiations that will keep delegations busy for two weeks. King Charles III is scheduled to speak on Friday.
– “Results” –
High on the agenda will be the fate of fossil fuels – coal, gas, oil – whose use is the main cause of global warming and the disasters that come with it.
Sultan Al Jaber, also general director of national oil company Adnoc, was in the thick of things, demanding that “the role of fossil fuels” be mentioned in any final agreement.
At the same time, he is under fire after the BBC and the Center for Climate Reporting published internal notes in preparation for official meetings that set out arguments for funding Adnoc projects abroad. He denied the allegations on Wednesday.
“The COP president will be judged by his results,” said Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s climate representative.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell was even more blunt: “If we do not signal the end of the fossil fuel age as we know it, we are preparing for our own eventual demise.”