.As COP28 UAE Presidency seeks 7-year transformational progress
By Tochukwu Bliss
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for speeding up of climate change commitments, and specifically asked leaders of developed countries to commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2040, ahead of the 2050 targets.
He also charged leaders in emerging economies to commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2050 – again, the limit they should all aim to respect.
Insisting that such commitments “can be done”, he noted that while some developed countries have already set a target as early as 2035, a number of those in emerging economies have already made the 2050 commitment
Guterres spoke in a video message released on Monday, at a press conference to launch the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), during Copenhagen Climate Ministerial Conference, Denmark.
He said: “Today, I am presenting a plan to super-charge efforts to achieve this Climate Solidarity Pact through an all-hands-on-deck Acceleration Agenda.
“It starts with parties immediately hitting the fast-forward button on their net zero deadlines to get to global net zero by 2050 – in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances.”
Through the Climate Solidarity Pact, he proposed that the G20 group of highly developed economies would make extra efforts to cut emissions, and wealthier countries would mobilize financial and technical resources to support emerging economies in a common effort to ensure that global temperatures do not rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
On adaptation, we must deliver the Global Goal on Adaptation that meets the needs of developing countries, builds resilience, protects fragile biodiversity and enhances nature-based solutions.
Transformational progress
This comes as COP28 President-designate, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, insists the world needs transformational progress in the next seven years across mitigation, adaptation, climate finance and loss and damage to achieve set targets.
In his opening remarks at the two-day Copenhagen Climate Ministerial Conference, which ended yesterday, Al Jaber argued that incremental steps as witnessed so far “will simply not cut it”.
“We need to build on the foundation achieved at COP27 and move from goals to getting it done,” he said.
Al Jaber, who co-chaired the conference attended by more than 40 ministers from around the world, reiterated that “The world is way off track when it comes to the critical goal of keeping 1.5 alive.”
he said that success can be achieved faster by scaling up all available zero-carbon energy sources, while minimizing the emissions from all other energy sources.
He continued: “Technology that no one can afford isn’t much use to anyone. Governments should therefore adopt smart policies to incentivize breakthroughs in battery storage and commercialize carbon capture and the hydrogen value chain.
“We should inject a business mindset, short-term KPIs and an ambitious action-oriented agenda into the process, and remember that the enemy is emissions, not progress.
“On adaptation, we must deliver the Global Goal on Adaptation that meets the needs of developing countries, builds resilience, protects fragile biodiversity and enhances nature-based solutions.”
He however noted that there will be no progress without “urgent reform of international financial institutions and multilateral development banks,” for increased climate finance.
“The bottom line is finance needs to be much more available, accessible and affordable. We need to stop talking about a just transition for the Global South and start delivering,” he added.
For this to happen, Al Jaber said: “We need solidarity and unity of purpose — there is simply no room for division. Progress of the kind we need can only happen through partnership, not polarization.
“The task ahead represents one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. But, if we act with urgency, act together and act now, it also represents one of the greatest opportunities for social and economic development.”
COP28, hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be crucial in this decade of action. The COP28 Presidency will lead the world’s response to the Global Stocktake, the first-ever report card on the Paris Agreement and aim to reignite momentum for climate progress.
