by DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The Middle East will host its second United Nations climate conference over the next two weeks, with countries hoping to agree on new ways to keep the planet from warming too much by the end of this century. There are many distractions, especially the war between Israel and Hamas.
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates will welcome thousands of attendees to the 28th “Conference of the Parties” to the United Nations climate conference from Thursday to December 12, amid lingering doubts about how far the oil-rich country will go. to help end climate. a crisis driven primarily by fossil fuel use.
Take a look here at the background, promises and challenges we face at COP28.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE LAST ONE
The world has become warmer since last year’s conference in Egypt. Some experts say 2023 will be the hottest year on record. This summer saw record highs in the northern hemisphere, and in Brazil – where it’s not summer yet – this month saw consistently high heat and high humidity.
“The whole 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 – especially developing countries – is becoming increasingly unprepared: This year’s monsoon season in India caused nearly $1.5 billion in property damage. Tropical storm Daniel in September caused deadly floods in Libya. Last month, Hurricane Otis ravaged Mexico, prompting fears that the government would spend more money rebuilding than helping people cope.
Even if very cold periods return – like the one in northern Europe at the moment – the overall trend lines show that average global temperatures are increasing.
WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE OF THIS COP
Few experts and policy makers expect major progress this year.
Burning fossil fuels that send carbon into the atmosphere is still the main cause of global warming, and production continues to grow. Climate campaigners say efforts to develop wind, solar and other alternative energy are not moving fast enough.
The 2015 Paris climate agreement set out a goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the start of the industrial age – and the world has so far fallen far short.
Many experts say that in order to reach that goal, carbon production in the atmosphere must peak next year and decrease by almost half by 2030.
Western countries are among those promoting ambitions to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by that year. Advocacy groups say it is trimming around the edges and avoiding the main issue: Reducing the burning of coal, oil and gas.
One debate will be about “down” or “out”: Whether countries agree to gradually reduce the use of fossil fuels, as some want, or phase them out – an unlikely lofty goal for climate campaigners that they will be given great attention in the Gulf country.
Global warming has huge implications: It can destroy local economies, worsen weather patterns, drive people to migrate, and disrupt indigenous peoples who want to maintain their traditional cultures, among many impacts another.
Another challenge in Dubai will be raising funds for poorer nations to prepare for, respond to and deal with climate-related disasters. Last year, creating a “loss and damage fund” was a big achievement — but figuring out how to fill it was difficult.
WHO IS COMING
King Charles will join Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US climate activist John Kerry, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at what organizers say is the biggest COP ever. Pope Francis had planned to attend but canceled on doctor’s orders as he recovered from respiratory problems.
Sultan al-Jaber, the head of Abu Dhabi’s national oil company presiding over COP28, will be 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-rich Gulf states will get more money to help developing countries adapt to climate change and switch to greener technologies.
Developing nations need the help of their governments to deal with the fallout from warming that is hitting them hard and has resulted from little or no fault of their own.
Rich countries will try to score political points in the global community in an increasingly polarized world, whether by providing leaflets or sharing know-how from their economic engines to nations in need – not forgetting their constituencies back home.
Climate campaigners want rich nation decision-makers to be held accountable for any lofty but unfulfilled promises in the past — and push for greater ambitions to change the way we live from Tokyo to Tegucigalpa to Timbuktu.
WHAT A CHALLENGE TO FIND
Every COP hopes to go forward in reality.
Like last year, when Russia’s war in Ukraine took a backseat to efforts to combat climate change, this year there are many eyes elsewhere in the Middle East — on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the attack devastating Hamas on Israel last month.
One challenge will be to refocus attention on climate issues, which often fade away after heat waves are over.
The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres traveled to Antarctica in the last few days to draw attention to concerns about melting ice. Many companies joined COP28: the US agribusiness company Cargill, for example, this week announced an “accelerated commitment” to end deforestation — critics said it did not do enough — in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay .
Developing countries want to take advantage of the rich world’s long-held luxuries – often by sequestering huge amounts of carbon. The purchase of gas-guzzling SUVs and larger cars is growing around the world, even as electric vehicles become more advanced.
Inflationary pressures that have increased the cost of living in recent months have made the purchase of cleaner – often more expensive – technologies less attractive, and many consumers have demanded lower gasoline prices. Many countries continue to subsidize fuel costs to limit the pinch on pocketbooks.
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