2023-11-30 09:12:01
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Middle East will host its second consecutive United Nations climate conference over the next two weeks, where countries hope to agree on new ways to prevent the planet from getting too hot by the end of the century. Among the abundant distractions, the war between Israel and Hamas stands out.
Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, will receive thousands of attendees between Thursday and December 12 at the 28th “Conference of the Parties” of the UN climate conference, amid persistent doubts regarding how far the wealthy oil nation to help end a climate crisis driven largely by the use of fossil fuels.
Below, a look at the context, what is at stake and the challenges of COP28.
The world has become warmer since last year’s conference in Egypt. Some experts maintain that 2023 is already the hottest year in history. In the northern hemisphere, temperature records were broken this summer, and Brazil, where summer has not yet begun, recorded its unprecedented temperature and humidity records this month.
“Virtually the entire world is suffering from heat waves,” Petteri Taalas, head of the UN weather agency, said earlier this month.
There are growing signs that the world — and especially developing countries — is becoming increasingly unprepared: the monsoon season caused $1.5 billion in property damage in India this year. In September, Tropical Storm Daniel caused deadly flooding in Libya. Last month, Hurricane Otis devastated a tourist resort in Mexico and raised fears that the government might spend more on rebuilding Acapulco than on helping people cope.
Even if extreme cold waves return — such as the one currently affecting northern Europe — the general trend points to an increase in global average temperature.
Few experts and policymakers expect a breakthrough this year.
The burning of fossil fuels that dumps carbon into the atmosphere remains the leading cause of global warming, and production continues to increase. Climate activists say efforts to develop wind, solar and other alternatives are not going fast enough.
The 2015 Paris climate agreement set a goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) from the start of the industrial age, but the world is a long way from achieving it.
Many experts point out that, to achieve that goal, the production of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would have to peak next year and be reduced by almost half by 2030.
Western countries are among those promoting the idea of tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by that year. Environmental groups say it is insufficient and ignores the main problem: reducing the burning of coal, oil and gas.
One of the debates will revolve around “reduction” or “elimination”, that is, whether countries agree to progressively reduce the use of fossil fuels, as some want, or their complete elimination, a goal of activists that is unlikely to be achieved. be seriously considered in the Persian Gulf country.
Global warming has enormous implications: it can disrupt local economies, aggravate weather patterns, cause migration, and wreak havoc on indigenous populations who want to maintain their traditional cultures, among many other things.
Another challenge in Dubai will be raising funds for poorer nations to prepare, respond and cope with climate-related disasters. Last year, creating a “loss and damage fund” was a great achievement, but raising the funding has proven difficult.
King Charles of England will participate alongside the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi; the American climate czar, John Kerry, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in what, according to the organizers, is the largest COP in history. Pope Francis had to cancel his attendance at the beginning of the week due to a medical prescription to recover from respiratory problems.
Sultan al-Jaber, head of Abu Dhabi’s national oil company and president of COP28, will be closely scrutinized for his country’s clear interest in oil and its calls for a transition to renewable energy. Many want to know whether the oil-producing countries of the Persian Gulf will provide more funds to help developing nations adapt to climate change and shift towards greener technologies.
The governments of these countries want help to face the consequences of warming that especially affects them and to which they have contributed little or nothing.
In an increasingly polarized world, rich nations will try to gain points in the international community, either by offering money or sharing technical knowledge of their economic engines with those most in need, but without forgetting their own voters.
Activists want decision-makers in rich countries to be held accountable for ambitious and broken promises made in the past, as well as pushing to change the way we live from Tokyo to Tegucigalpa to Timbuktu.
In all COPs, hopes collide with harsh reality.
Just like last year, when Russia’s war in Ukraine influenced efforts to fight climate change, this year many eyes will also be on the Middle East due to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas attack on the south of the country last month.
One of the challenges will be to revive attention on climate issues, which often disappear as heat waves do.
UN Secretary General António Guterres recently traveled to Antarctica to draw attention to the melting ice. Many companies are signing up for COP28: US agribusiness Cargill, for example, announced this week an “accelerated commitment” to ending deforestation – an area in which critics say it has not done enough – in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
Developing countries want to benefit from the luxuries that the rich world has long enjoyed, often producing huge amounts of carbon. The purchase of off-road and large cars, which consume a lot of gasoline, is increasing around the world despite the increase in electric vehicles.
The inflationary pressures that have increased the cost of living in recent months have made purchasing cleaner technologies, which are also usually more expensive, less attractive, and many consumers have demanded a reduction in the price of gasoline. Many countries continue to subsidize fuel to limit the population’s loss of purchasing power.
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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage is supported by several private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for the content.
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