The UN climate summit, COP28, opened in Dubai on Thursday with the president, Sultan al-Jaber, announcing that R5bn ($267m) had been pledged to the new loss and damage fund on day one, showing that “the world can unite, can act and can deliver”.
“The speed at which the world came together, to get this fund operationalised within one year since parties agreed to it (at COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh is unprecedented,” he said, calling it historic.
The loss and damage fund is a top priority for developing countries, which are being worst hit by climate change, even though they are the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming.
“This fund will support billions of people, lives and livelihoods that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change,” the COP28 president said.
The long walks between venues are like the long walk to climate justice
— Natural Justice head of campaigns, Kath Robinson
The UAE and Germany each pledged R1.8m ($100m) to the fund, with the UK ($40m), US ($17,5m) and Japan ($10m) also making commitments on the opening day.
A meeting in Abu Dhabi earlier in November — generating recommendations on grant-based support to countries affected by climate damage and loss — laid the groundwork for the pledges, said the presidency.
But Natural Justice head of campaigns, Kath Robinson from South Africa, said the language on the funding arrangements for loss and damage was weak, allowing developed countries to contribute on a voluntary basis and lacking human rights principles.
“This, on top of being administered by the infamous World Bank, has eviscerated the urgency and foundational principles of the loss and damage fund and the Paris Agreement: climate justice, historical responsibility and equity,” said Robinson, who is attending COP28.
She added: “It is jarring to be in such a wealthy environment, when we know that there are so many people facing such poverty, and loss and damage from climate change will exacerbate that. The long walks between venues are like the long walk to climate justice ahead of us.”.
Protests are expected during the summit, and on Friday, a memorial of shoes is expected to go up, representing the more than 8,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza since October 7.
The irony of one of the world’s biggest oil producers hosting a climate summit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has sparked widespread condemnation and skepticism about its potential to stay on track, ahead of the COP28.
“The flights are starting to arrive at the Climate Career Fest 28. Most of the (600+) private jets will land in the next couple of days. There is more chance of new pipeline deals than emissions reduction deals,” stated adaptation/mitigation specialist Peter Dynes on X.
Despite countries’ promises, fossil fuel emissions are still rising. Even if countries commit to deliver on their existing pledges, the world is heading for global warming of 2.5°C to 2.9°C.
“The UN environment programme Adaptation Gap 2023 report found that the costs of needed adaptation investments in developing countries are between $215bn and $387bn per year this decade.
“This is 10-18 times greater than current international public finance flows for adaptation ... world leaders must immediately rectify this,” deputy chairs of the global human rights organisation Ban Ki-moon and Graça Machel wrote in The Guardian newspaper on Thursday.
“Stop funding what is harming us and start funding what is needed to secure a liveable future for all,” they urged world leaders.
Coming up at the COP28, countries will tackle the first global stocktake since the Paris Agreement, essentially a report card on how the world is doing in meeting its goals, including the key target of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, with 2°C the upper limit.
A landmark stocktake report, which finds the global response is inadequate to meet the Paris targets, lays a scientific basis for the stocktake.
Calling for greater ambition, inclusivity and transparency, UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell declared: “Business-as-usual is breaking our planet. At COP28, leaders must get to work fixing it. This has to be the COP of solutions.”
