UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders attending the COP28 climate summit to envision a future without fossil fuels, emphasizing that it is the only way to effectively address global warming. His statement followed a proposal by COP28 president Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber to continue using fossil fuels. Guterres emphasized the necessity of halting the burning of all fossil fuels to achieve the 1.5-degree limit, rejecting mere reduction or abatement efforts. This divergence in perspectives underscores a key divisive issue at the UN climate summit, hosted in the oil-producing United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, King Charles III of Britain urged progress in the global climate agenda, emphasizing the urgent need to repair and restore nature’s economy for the planet’s sustainability. His remarks appeared to contrast with the policies of his government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was expected to announce significant climate finance but had rolled back domestic measures aimed at achieving net-zero targets.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later criticized wealthy nations for contributing significantly to climate-warming emissions, emphasizing the urgent need to rectify past mistakes. He highlighted the global impact of indiscriminate exploitation of nature and called for corrective actions.
A notable development occurred when Hilda Heine, a former president of the Marshall Islands, resigned from the main COP28 advisory board in objection to the UAE’s perceived support for continued fossil fuel use. She expressed disappointment and accused the UAE of using its COP28 role to broker oil and gas deals, undermining the integrity of the COP presidency.
On the negotiating front, delegations and technical committees commenced work on assessing progress in meeting global climate targets, particularly the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The United Nations released the first draft of a potential agreement, outlining various options to address the role of fossil fuels in the future, including commitments to phase down or phase out their use, quitting coal energy, tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and incorporating carbon capture and removal technology.
Despite these challenges, the summit achieved an early victory by adopting a new fund to assist impoverished nations in coping with climate-related disasters.
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