The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on November 30 and officially closed on December 13, local time, and reached the "UAE Consensus".
The UNFCCC secretariat noted that the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, which took place in the hottest year on record, was a decisive moment for meeting climate commitments and preventing the worst impacts of climate change.
In what areas does the international community need to strengthen cooperation in response to global climate change?Blue Room Watch interviewed the United Nations Environment Programme's Regional Climate Action Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific.
Strengthen international cooperation to enhance the overall effectiveness of climate action
For the first time, the two-week Dubai climate conference will take stock of the progress made on climate action since the signing of the Paris Agreement, assessing collective progress towards achieving the goals and long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. The global stocktake is also an important mechanism to promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The United Arab Emirates, the presidency of the current conference, previously set the deadline for reaching an agreement at 11 o'clock local time on December 12, and originally planned to complete the first global inventory of the Paris Agreement within the deadline, but because many parties believe that the text of the agreement "cannot fully respond to their concerns", and there are "serious opposing and ** views" among all parties, the Dubai climate conference went through the "overtime" stage and reached a consensus on the first global inventory of the Paris Agreement on the 13th. The final decision of the Conference was unanimously agreed by 198 Parties.
In an exclusive interview with Blue Room Watch, the UNEP's Asia-Pacific Regional Climate Action Coordinator Mozaharul Alam said that the climate change conference in Dubai has provided information for parties to submit the next round of national climate action plans in 2025. The comprehensive resolution will support the international community's efforts to improve the overall effectiveness of climate action to achieve the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement, and will also enhance mutual trust between all parties in the negotiation process and consensus on the outcome, which is important for promoting international cooperation to address the climate crisis.
Developed countries should fully honour their commitments to make up for the funding gap
According to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, developed countries with large emissions must act first to rapidly reduce their emissions, and richer countries should provide developing countries with the best financing for climate change.
According to the latest Adaptation Gap Report 2023 released by the United Nations Environment Programme, according to modelling estimates, developing countries currently need about US$215 billion to US$387 billion per year to adapt to climate change, while in 2021 these countries received only about US$21 billion in adaptation finance from developed countries, a decrease of 15% from 2020, and the funding gap is as high as US$194 billion to US$366 billion. The climate conference officially kicked off loss and damage**, and more than $83 billion in financing commitments have been raised to address the climate change challenge. But in the face of a huge funding gap, commitments need to be translated into action as soon as possible.
The next step, Alam told Blue Room Watch, is to determine how it will work, develop rules and procedures for obtaining it, including that countries that have already pledged to make contributions should honour the commitments they made before making their contributions. It is important that developing countries be provided with immediate funding to deal with loss and damage. Countries must take action to meet their current commitments in all areas and to be more ambitious.
China is taking action to tackle climate change
For the first time, the text of the resolution reached at the conference includes the language on fossil fuels, calling on countries to transition from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and rational manner.
During the conference, China released the China Energy Transition Outlook 2023 report, which outlines China's path to achieving energy transition. In addition, China has also taken the lead in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and joined the ...... of the High Ambition Alliance for Nature and PeopleChina's solutions and technologies were frequently unveiled during the Dubai Climate Conference, demonstrating China's ability and determination to address climate change.
Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, said on the 9th that China will achieve carbon peak by 2030. He said at a press conference held on the same day that so far, the cost of wind power generation in China has been reduced by 80%, and the cost of photovoltaic power generation has been reduced by 90%, laying a very good foundation for the large-scale deployment of renewable energy around the world. In the future, we will continue to strengthen the development and utilization of renewable energy and strive to gradually replace fossil energy. He also pointed out that China has carried out various forms of support, assistance and cooperation with developing countries through South-South cooperation and the green Belt and Road Initiative, and China will continue to enhance financial and technical cooperation with developing countries in the future.
In an interview with the Blue Room Observer, Eric Solheim, vice chairman of the Belt and Road Green Development International Alliance and former United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, said that the Belt and Road Initiative is the most important development initiative of the times, and now this initiative also has a "green" background, and the Belt and Road Initiative has also built a very important "green corridor", which will bring benefits to the world's green transformation.
In an interview with Blue Room Watch, Nikolova, Senior Commissioner for Environmental Affairs at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, pointed out that China has made great efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions and has taken many innovative measures. The Chinese-made hydrogen smart rail train "sails" from Shanghai to Malaysia, and China is leading the world in the process of building a zero-carbon future.
Baderkai, president and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, told the Blue Room Observer that China's "dual carbon goals" are timely. The speed of China's energy transition, and the number of new energy vehicles speeding through the streets, are encouraging. If the world can work together, there is hope that the challenge of climate change will be tackled together. Human beings need to live in harmony with nature, which is exactly what the construction of a beautiful China advocates.
Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, revealed in an interview with reporters that a "common finance" summit will be held in China next year to increase climate change financing, which shows China's willingness to join hands with the international community to combat climate change.
**: CCTV news client
Blue Room Observation丨Dubai Climate Conference Concludes Response to Climate Change How can the international community cooperate? (cctv.com)