Cop28: UN climate summit ends with divisive deal
The governments of the world have agreed on a declaration at the Cop28 climate summit that has been both hailed as historic and dismissed as weak. Here are the big takeaways from today:
Countries agreed on a text that encourages countries to move away from fossil fuels and quickly ramp up renewable energy
Island states whose homes are being washed away by rising sea levels said the text was an improvement but contains a “litany of loopholes”
Scientists said the document did not go far enough for world leaders to honour the promise they made to keep the planet from heating 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures by the end of the century
Poorer countries said they were frustrated by the lack of a concrete plan to adapt to climate change and money to do so
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Climate scientist Dr Friederike Otto, at Imperial College London, and co-founder of the World Weather Attribution group, has reacted strongly to the Cop28 deal:
“The lukewarm agreement reached at Cop28 will cost every country, no matter how rich, no matter how poor. Everyone loses. It’s hailed as a compromise, but we need to be very clear what has been compromised. The short-term financial interests of a few have again won over the health, lives and livelihoods of most people living on this planet.
“With every vague verb, every empty promise in the final text, millions more people will enter the frontline of climate change and many will die. At 1.2C of warming, we’re already seeing devastating climate impacts that disrupt economies, destroy livelihoods and claim lives.
“Climate change is driving instability. Nearly every country wants stability, but until fossil fuels are phased out, the world will continue to become a more dangerous, more expensive and more uncertain place to live.”
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