The leaders attending COP28 are united in their goals, but the rift remains

Mondo International Updated on 2024-01-19

On December 3, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) was held in Dubai. According to the Associated Press on December 2, dozens of leaders around the world say they know the planet is in a dangerous state of overheating and are working to stop the situation from worsening. The next step is to translate their rhetoric at the opening of the UN climate conference into action.

At the grand opening ceremony, which was full of VIPs, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who had just visited the glaciers of Antarctica and Nepal, said that "the vital signs of the planet are weakening" and that he told world leaders that "you can stop the collapse of the planet".

"Climate change is by far the defining issue of our time," said Kenyan Ruto. Along with many leaders, he reaffirmed the main goal of the congress organizers: to triple the power generation capacity of renewable energy sources and double energy efficiency.

The targets are not controversial, but the question of what to do with fossil fuels is controversial, the report said.

The president of the General Assembly released a document on the 1st calling for a "phase-down" of fossil fuels. But 106 countries in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific signed a declaration calling for a complete phase-out of fossil fuels.

This exposes traditional rifts between rich industrialized countries and most developing countries – and between commitment and political action.

Brazil is home to most of the Amazon rainforest, the report said. "The planet is tired of climate agreements that are not being fulfilled," Lula said. He said he was fed up with "eloquent and empty speeches."

Many leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, have taken aim at coal.

Burning coal, oil, and gas contributes to climate change. Many countries have been hit hard by the floods, storms, droughts and heat waves that have intensified as a result.

Argentina's Buenos Aires Economic News Network also reported on December 1 that there was a warm atmosphere at the Dubai Expo City, where COP28 was held. On December 1 and 2, heads of state and ** delivered speeches and clear messages to their negotiators. After reaching an initial agreement on loss and damage**, the focus of the debate now shifts to phasing out fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.

At the World Climate Action Summit, the high-level meeting of the climate change conference, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made it clear: "We cannot save a burning planet with pipelines." ”

In a speech to 140 global leaders, Guterres also outlined two other goals to be achieved at the COP: triple renewable energy generation capacity and double energy efficiency. (Compiled by Ge Xuelei and Liu Lifei).

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