Summary
That’s it from us for today, as the second week of Cop ramps up and we begin to see the tussles over the language – will we phase out fossil fuels, what does abatement look like, and what does that all mean for the Paris agreement?
We will be blogging and reporting all weekend, and indeed until the negotiations end, whenever that may be, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s what happened today.
The former French prime minister and Cop21 president, Laurent Fabius, said we are off track for 1.5 degrees of warming, as agreed in the Paris agreement, and that he thinks we will hit between 2.8 and 3 if we don’t act now.
Nina Lakhani revealed Cop28 organisers granted attendance to at least 475 lobbyists working on carbon capture and storage, unproven technologies that climate scientists say will not curtail global heating.
Norway’s minister of foreign affairs, Espen Barth Eide, was confronted by activists protesting against the new Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea. The oil and gas licence has been signed off by the UK government – which has been highly controversial – but the facility will be operated by Norway’s Equinor. They asked him if he would stop Rosebank because of the vast emissions it would cause. He said it was not up to him, adding: “These decisions are up to the UK government.”
Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 president, seemed chipper about the progress made at the summit. He told journalists “We can all agree Cop28 has been different, and I am sure we will agree that Cop28 has already made history.”
Updated
Laurent Fabius: 'We are off track for 1.5C'
The former French prime minister and Cop21 president has had a chat with our environment reporter after his press conference.
When she asked him if he thought we were on track to meet the 1.5C target agreed in Paris, he was pessimistic. “Are we so far away from 1.5C? The figures aren’t that good. And all the scientific data shows that we’re off track. Remember that before Paris? The tendency was four degrees. Sure. Now, it’s something between 2.8 and three and we have to be 1.5 which means to act urgently, not in 20 years. Right now.”
She then asked him if the Paris agreement would fail if we do not get a phase-out of fossil fuels.
He said: “I hope that we will find something which will be meaningful, because I compare it with the elephant, you can say the elephant is not here – it is here.” He seems to be saying it is the elephant in the room when it comes to meeting the 1.5C target.
Fabius added: “And therefore, we have to deal with that, obviously in a realistic manner, but from my different talks, and particularly with the president of this Cop … my own belief is that we have to be very clear that … both companies, governments and all the people that have to know that they have progressively to replace the fossil fuel with renewables, not only renewables, other obviously, techniques, but we have to insist on that. And it will be part and parcel of the success of the whole of this Cop.”
Updated
Here is some more of my terrible French translation – do take with a pinch of salt – I am doing my best until we get someone who is better at French than me to chime in … the translation service for this press conference is not working.
Laurent Fabius continues at the press conference, he said the phase-out has to be interconnected with a just transition and this includes funding as well as all the required technology and industry for developing countries.
He is now saying that the Cop process is all about trust. He smiled and said that Al Jaber is very nice and diplomatic but that without trust, the final text cannot be successfully completed. He repeated his comment about trust a fair few times. He said it’s hard to critique how the current president is doing because it’s a very different time compared with when he chaired Cop21.
He gave some advice to Al Jaber, who he referred to as his friend: “You need ambition while being realistic”.
Updated
I’ve just been sent in some analysis from Friederike Röder, Vice President Policy and Advocacy, Global Citizen about the latest GST draft. She does not seem very optimistic and says we are “going in reverse” on some issues.
The latest GST draft shows one thing : there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure a historic success at COP28. For that, two issues are critical: the phase out of fossil fuels and meaningful language on climate finance going forward.
New options are on the table for the phase out of fossil fuels - showing that this remains a key question which cannot just be swept under the rug. The mention of the need to align with Paris as well as setting a timeline (well before 2050) are all pointing into the right direction of what the final outcome should look like: agreement on a phase-out of fossil fuels (not unabated only), with a view to a peak in their consumption in this decade and underlining the importance for the energy sector to be predominantly free of fossil fuels well ahead of 2050.
The fossil fuel subsidies language is weakened, limiting phase out to subsidies that do not address energy poverty, and still without any timeline. How is it possible that we’re going in reverse on 2009 language?
While the language on international climate finance has not changed substantially, the call to encourage parties to scale up climate finance has disappeared from one of the options (97.2). While it’s good that there is recognition of the shortfall to the USD 100B target (including for past years) and that there is an expectation that it will be met in 2022, these words mean nothing without plans on how the goal will be met through 2025 and with verifiable data on 2022.
Laurent Fabius, the former French prime minister and chair of Cop21, which was viewed as a successful summit, has been giving his tips on how Cop28 can succeed during a press conference.
My French isn’t good enough for a proper translation (I will get one to you!) but he has been drawing on his experience as a negotiator, praised what has gone on so far with loss and damage funding, and been broadly positive about Al Jaber’s work so far as Cop28 president.
Le diplomate qui a présidé la #COP21 et qui a grandement contribué à l’adoption de l’Accord de Paris est à la #COP28 à Dubaï. Laurent Fabius va-t-il donner au Sultan al-Jaber ses trucs pour faire d’une COP un grand succès? pic.twitter.com/eTx3eoBxf9
— Etienne Leblanc (@leblancetienne) December 8, 2023
Updated
Here’s Greta Thunberg at a Cop-themed climate strike. She said: “We need the fossil fuel lobbyists out of climate negotiations, and no more empty promises.”
Climate strike week 277. People all over the world are now protesting to demand climate justice from #COP28 currently taking place in Dubai.
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 8, 2023
We need the fossil fuel lobbyists out of climate negotiations, and no more empty promises!#FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike #PollutersOut pic.twitter.com/ISUAiTCSYk
Updated
Here is some commentary on the UK’s backing of the fossil fuel phase-out language at Cop28 from ActionAid. The charity thinks the government is not practising what it preaches, as Britain continues to expand fossil fuel production.
Zahra Hdidou, a senior climate and resilience adviser at ActionAid UK, said:
“While the UK government publicly backs the phasing out of fossil fuels at Cop, its commitments aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. The promise to phase out fossil fuels while issuing a hundred new oil and gas licenses is an outrageous contradiction and one that will plunge the most marginalised communities well past the brink of climate catastrophe.
“In backing the phase-out of only ‘unabated fossil fuels,’ the UK is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of climate-affected communities and provide cover for oil and gas companies to wreck the planet for decades to come.
“The text today offers an opportunity to genuinely phase out all fossil fuels in line with the Paris agreement – a moment the UK should seize with both hands.”
Updated
At least 475 carbon-capture lobbyists attending Cop28
Cop28 organisers granted attendance to at least 475 lobbyists working on carbon capture and storage (CCS), unproven technologies that climate scientists say will not curtail global heating, the Guardian can reveal.
The figure was calculated by the Centre for Environmental Law (Ciel) and shared exclusively with the Guardian, and is the first attempt to monitor the growing influence of the CCS subset of the fossil fuel industry within the UN climate talks.
CCS, or CCUS (which includes “utilisation”) is being pushed hard at the summit by fossil fuel and other high-pollution industries, as well as by the biggest greenhouse gas emitting countries. CCS backers say the technologies will enable polluters to trap carbon dioxide emissions and bury them under the ground or the seabed, or use the CO2 in the production of fuels or fertilisers.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other climate scientists agree that phasing out oil, gas and coal is the only path to curtailing global heating to somewhere near 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, and that CCUS and other unproven niche technologies are a delaying tactic and a distraction that could, at best, contribute to a very limited extent.
Lili Fuhr, the director of Ciel’s fossil economy programme, said: “The force with which the fossil fuel industry and their allies are coming to Dubai to sell the idea that we can ‘capture’ or ‘manage’ their carbon pollution is a sign of their desperation. CCS is the fossil fuel industry’s lifeline and it is also their latest excuse and delay tactic.
“We must not let an army of carbon capture lobbyists blow a gigantic loophole into the energy package here at Cop28.”
Updated
Dr Simon Evans at CarbonBrief has the latest on the new text on global stocktake:
BREAKING #COP28 new text on global stocktake
— Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) December 8, 2023
Now 5 options on fossil fuel phaseout:
1⃣phase out all fossil fuels in line w/ science
2⃣as above + 1.5C + Paris principles
3⃣"unabated" + peak + "predominantly" FF free 2050
4⃣unabated + net-zero
5⃣"no text"https://t.co/NtOc6QPYfw pic.twitter.com/kTcilhS3E1
Updated
The next few days could be the world’s last chance of keeping global heating within safe limits, leaders at the Cop28 UN climate summit have been told.
Talks in Dubai are entering their final phase, with governments still far apart on the central question of whether to phase out fossil fuels.
Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s climate minister, who has been charged with one of the key roles in forging an agreement among deeply divided governments, said: “We cannot negotiate with nature. The climate cannot compromise. No well meaning words will change a single thing unless we act. This week may be our last opportunity to bring us on course to keeping 1.5C alive.”
Jørgensen, along with the South African minister Barbara Creecy, will chair negotiations on the global stocktake, a process under the 2015 Paris climate agreement that assesses progress – or lack of it – towards meeting the treaty’s goals of holding global temperature rises well below 2C and “pursuing efforts” to keep them to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Updated
'That's up to the UK' – Norway's minister confronted on Rosebank oilfield
Norway’s minister of foreign affairs, Espen Barth Eide, has been confronted by activists protesting against the new Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea. The oil and gas licence has been signed off by the UK government – which has been highly controversial – but the facility will be operated by Norway’s Equinor.
They asked him if he would stop Rosebank because of the vast emissions it would cause. He said it was not up to him, adding: “These decisions are up to the UK government.”
When it was pointed out the Norwegian government had power over the state-owned companies such as Equinor, he said: “Yes, but they are operating in the marketplace … we are trying to phase out the use of fossil fuels” – before walking away from the activist.
🚨BREAKING: Activist confronts Norway’s Minister co-leading #COP28 negotiations on emissions phase-out, on climate hypocrisy
— #StopRosebank (@StopCambo) December 8, 2023
Rich countries like Norway are telling other countries to lower their emissions while continuing to rake in cash from oil & gas expansion across the world pic.twitter.com/T3OUS3lsBQ
Updated
In the ministerial pairings announced this morning, Egypt and Canada have been tasked with helping the UAE presidency come up with a negotiated text on implementation – which is fundamentally about climate finance.
Mohamed Nasr, Egypt’s chief climate negotiator who helped drive the loss and damage victory at Cop27, told the Guardian: “We are aware of the challenges developing countries are facing in meeting the current NDCs [Nationally Determined Contributions] and national climate action plans – to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts. Without this we don’t have anything. If developing countries do not have access to appropriate finance, loss and damage will rise, development will slide, migration will increase. Climate policy and climate finance cannot work in a silo.”
NDCs are at the heart of the Paris agreement and the achievement of its long-term goals to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts. Each country is required to establish an NDC and update it every five years.
Developed countries have failed to meet their climate finance obligations, generating an ever rising gap between what developing countries need for mitigation and climate adaptation, and what’s available to them.
Canada, which has an extractive industry economy, will likely be pushing to limit grants and further increase the role of private sector finance in climate action – which is what many developed countries favour.
Updated
Five climate experts explain the difference between 1.5C and 2C
The world’s most ambitious climate target is under threat from physics and politics. But what would it mean for the planet and its inhabitants if humanity were to abandon the goal to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels?
The inclusion of 1.5C (2.7F) was hailed as one of the great triumphs of the Paris climate agreement of 2015. Until then, international ambition had been limited to 2C, much to the frustration of small island states and others on the frontline of climate disruption.
So what’s the difference? Five climate scientists explain. Read below
Updated
The Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has been in Dubai since Cop28 kicked off, condemning the evils of the oil and gas industry and stressing the need for countries to back strong language saying fossil fuels will be phased out.
He has paid for ads in more than 10 newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Financial Times in the UK and the Times of India, to reinforce this point.
Under the banner of Forrest’s company, Fortescue, the ads show an ostrich with its head in the sand. Above the bird runs the text: “Oil and gas, here is the science you’ve missed.”
Forrest, known in Australia as Twiggy, is the country’s second richest person, with a net worth of A$33.3bn (£17.4bn). Though he made his fortune mining iron ore and selling it to China to make steel, he has more recently become an aggressive renewable energy investor and advocate.
Forrest told the Guardian that Cop28 could have “enormous historic relevancy” if countries declared fossil fuels would be phased out, and not just “abated” through what he called the “old lie” of carbon sequestration. He said it would be a “flop” if leaders failed to agree on this point.
“The science is now cutting through, and if people are saying they don’t know it, or they ignore it, then I do think they have blood on their hands,” he said.
Read the full story here.
Updated
A historic deal on loss and damage was struck at Cop28 last week – but aid organisations are warning that similar urgency needs to be enacted on climate adaptation.
A recent report said finance for adaptation needed to reach US$194bn$366bn a year. Yet recent evidence shows adaptation funding fell 15% in 2021 from the previous year, to US$24.6bn.
Mary Friel, a senior climate officer at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said:
“As we enter week two of Cop, adaptation – essential to saving lives – falls behind. Limited progress on a new global goal and slow action to deliver on the doubling of adaptation finance, as agreed in Glasgow two years ago, is deeply worrying. It puts the success of this Cop in doubt.
“The historic progress on loss and damage, which began this Cop, was a notable success. But not moving forward on adaptation would be a major failure.”
Kirsten Hagon, IFRC’s head of global policy and diplomacy, added:
“Extreme weather and climate related events don’t have to lead to disasters, but they will if we fail to invest in adaptation. The urgency felt by communities facing rising sea levels, droughts, floods or heatwaves is missing in the negotiation rooms on the adaptation agenda. It’s time to set aside disagreements and focus on positive action desperately needed for people and communities to protect their livelihoods, save lives and prevent loss and damage.”
Updated
He took some questions from journalists.
Agence France-Presse asked if there would be language on coal, oil and gas in the final text of Cop. Sultan Al Jaber, the summit’s president, responded that keeping 1.5 in reach was his “North star” and added: “My job is to keep that North star shining every step of the way.” He said the decision was for those negotiating, and it was his job to “enable and facilitate the process”. Al Jaber added the energy transition must be “pragmatic and results-delivered”. So no real answer on that.
The BBC asked how Al Jaber would bring on board those countries reluctant on the issue of fossil fuels, including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. He said: “I have been engaging with everyone on all parties” including “businesses and industry”. The Cop28 president added: “I did not leave any stone unturned for my commitment for the highest possible ambition ever coming out of a Cop.”
The South African Broadcasting Corporation asked about financing for developing countries, saying they will not be able to repay back loans from developed countries. Al Jaber replied: “We cannot only view climate change as a burden, a problem or a challenge. We have to turn that narrative and claim it as an opportunity – it can be seen as a new industrial revolution. Finance must be made available, accessible and affordable, not only by making pledges but by ensuring that the mechanisms that will allow for those who need it are easy for them to tap into, and ensure the delivery of this money on a timely basis.”
Updated
Sultan Al Jaber says Cop28 'has already made history' at start of second week
Hello! Helena Horton here taking you through the summit for the rest of the day.
Sultan Al Jaber just held a press conference to kick off week two of Cop28 after a rest day. He told the audience: “I do hope you managed to get some rest yesterday and I hope you are ready for what will be a momentous few days ahead.”
The Cop28 president and oil executive will is likely to be hoping this second half of the summit goes better than the last, when his presidency was undermined by his remarks to Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, in which he questioned the science around the phase out of fossil fuels.
He spoke on this theme, insisting this Cop under his leadership is better and more successful than previous summits.
“We can all agree Cop28 has been different, and I am sure we will agree that Cop28 has already made history. There is a unique sense of momentum, a sense of inclusivity and a sense of willingness and flexibility. I also feel a sense that something unprecedented is possible to happen here at Cop28. We achieved consensus on the first day with the loss and damage, and I believe with the momentum we have, with the action-oriented mindset that has been instilled across the board here on the site, I believe we can achieve consensus again on the rest of the agenda.”
No stone unturned: COP28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber has engaged with all Parties - relevant stakeholders, NGOs, civil society, observers, businesses and industry - to push for the highest possible ambition to ever come out of a COP. #COP28 #UniteActDeliver pic.twitter.com/wmhAhh1QSi
— COP28 UAE (@COP28_UAE) December 8, 2023
Updated
Summary
Cop28 is getting back up to speed after its enforced – but much needed – rest day yesterday, with attention focusing on debate about whether to agree to phase out or phase down fossil fuels.
So far today we have had:
• Christiana Figueres, the UN’s climate chief when the landmark Paris agreement was reached in 2015, come out unequivocally behind a phase out of fossil fuels. “If we want a step forward in this Cop, then we cannot compromise on phase out. It sends a political signal that has ramifications for companies that need to decide where they’re going to put their [investment].”
• Research from the Food and Agricultural Organisation that reveals the huge impact of livestock emissions on the climate. It found that livestock agrifood systems – which include cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens – are responsible for 6.2 gigatonnesof carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, approximately 12% of all emissions in 2015.
• One hundred global Native groups and allies have published an open letter calling for Cop28 negotiators to protect of Indigenous rights during the clean energy transition.
• More than 250 organisations from across the world have released a letter calling on the US to abandon its support for liquefied natural gas ,which is due to grow massively in the next few years.
• Australia’s climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has pledged of AUS$150m (US$100m) in climate finance, mainly targeted at Pacific countries
• Azerbaijan appears to be emerging as a favourite to hold next year’s Cop
I am now going to hand over to my colleague Helena Horton (helena.horton@theguardian.com), who will be seeing the blog through to the end of the day.
Updated
Research published on Friday by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) at Cop28 reveals the huge impact of livestock emissions on the climate. Livestock produce methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, so are a key contributor to the climate crisis.
The FAO found that livestock agrifood systems – which include cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens – are responsible for 6.2 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) emissions.
This accounts for approximately 12% of all emissions in 2015, the baseline year chosen for the study.
It also found:
• Of all the six animal species considered, cattle contribute to more than 60% of global livestock emissions.
• Of the edible animal products – meat, milk and eggs – two-thirds of the emissions are linked to meat production across all species.
• A further one-third of emissions comes from the production, processing and transport of feed inputs.
By 2050, demand for animal products is likely to grow by a fifth from 2020 levels
Without intervention, this upward trend could result in increased emissions from livestock systems, potentially undermining efforts to reduce GHG emissions and exacerbating global temperature rises.
The FAO concludes that more sustainable practices are needed, including breeding livestock for lower emissions and changing their feed, as well as changing human diets.
The report included some data that will trouble campaigners. Cattle in sub-Saharan Africa produce relatively far more emissions than North American cattle, according to the study, although most conservationists would regard subsistence herding as more acceptable environmentally than the mega farms of the US midwest.
The report notes that the absolute emissions of US intensive livestock farming are far greater than those of African herds, but said there was scope for interventions in Africa that would reduce emissions.
Campaigners will not want to see the US given a clean sheet and subsistence farmers taking the blame – that would be the wrong conclusion to draw from their data.
FAO will also present, separately, on Sunday a road map for the world food systems for staying within 1.5C .
Ivo Vlaev, a professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick, said: “Shifting public dietary habits, especially in affluent countries where meat consumption is high, is a complex challenge. People’s food choices are deeply ingrained and influenced by cultural, social, and personal factors.
“Interventions to change these behaviours must account for these influences, potentially employing strategies like social norming (highlighting the growing popularity of plant-based diets), framing (emphasising the personal health benefits of reduced meat consumption), and facilitating ease of access to alternative protein sources.”
Updated
As mentioned earlier, today’s focus at Cop is officially on youth and children and there have been several protests calling for more progress on adaptation and financial to support poorer countries on the frontline of the climate crisis.
Updated
Mystery of Sultan Al Jaber’s ‘identical’ words
In Monday’s combative press conference, in which the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, responded to the Guardian revelation that he had said there was “no science out there that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C”, a journalist raised the issue of a powerful, and apparently contradictory, statement made by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, a few days before.
“The secretary general has said just, here a few days ago, don’t even talk abated,” the reporter from Associated Press said. Guterres had said: “The science is clear: The 1.5C limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce, not abate. Phase out, with a clear timeframe.”
Al Jaber responded: “I’m glad you mentioned what [secretary general'] said. He’s right. But guess what? I said it a day before he did – it wasn’t picked up, not even mentioned.”
Al Jaber said he had confronted the oil and gas industry, brought them around the table and got them to sign up to commitments, apparently referring to the oil and gas decarbonisation charter announced at Cop28.
“Actually, let me just be simple. I said the same thing. I was identical. Same thing, no pick up whatsoever. The [secretary general] gets maximum coverage,” he said.
Immediately after the press conference, the Guardian asked the Cop28 press office what the “identical” comments were and when Al Jaber had made them. Despite repeating the request since, no answer has been received.
Updated
With calls for a phase out instead of a phase down of fossil fuels shaping up to be the critical fight in the second week of Cop28, Christiana Figueres, the UN’s climate chief when the landmark Paris agreement was reached in 2015, is unequivocally behind a phase-out.
“If we want a step forward in this Cop, then we cannot compromise on phase out,” said Figueres, the founder of the Global Optimism group. “It sends a political signal that has ramifications for companies that need to decide where they are going to put their [investment].”
She said including further language around phase-out would take into consideration other concerns. “Language around equity is important, because industrialised countries can and should phase out much quicker than developing countries who are exporters [and] language around a just transition is critical.” Figueres said at a Guardian Live event on Wednesday.
Tessa Khan, a lawyer and founder of the Uplift campaign group in the UK, said: “The signal that softer language – phase down – sends is suggesting a longer lifetime for fossil fuel demand and production.
“That’s a dangerous signal to send national governments, to investors, to companies that are right now really at a crossroads in terms of whether or not they do invest in new fossil fuel supply, or how quickly they transition their economies away from fossil fuels.”
Updated
The vexed question of where Cop will be held next year may be a step closer to resolution.
As has been previously reported, it is eastern Europe’s turn to host Cop29 but Russia has vetoed the 27 EU countries and, until recently, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been vetoing each other. That left only seven, mostly small states, as possible hosts under the UN consensus model. And organising a Cop is highly expensive.
The picture changed on Thursday night after the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been at odds for decades, issued a joint statement saying they were taking steps to “normalise” their relationship. They included releasing captured soldiers and Armenia dropping its Cop bid and throwing its support behind Azerbaijan.
“The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan do hope that the other countries within the eastern European group will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host,” the statement said.
This is not guaranteed. Moldova has also put itself forward as a candidate, and Reuters reports that Serbia is considering a bid.
It remains possible that Bonn, the home of the UN climate secretariat, or a larger German city could become the default location if agreement is not reached.
Australia’s climate change minister, Chris Bowen, does not have a say in the decision but has been watching from a distance, as the delay over next year has held up discussion of where Cop31 will be held in 2026. Australia had made a bid to co-host with Pacific countries.
Asked about the Azerbaijan-Armenia statement, Bowen said “there does appear to have been a breakthrough” on where Cop29 would be held and that was “welcome”.
Asked if he was surprised, he said: “Yeah, well, a little. But the fact that Azerbaijan and Armenia, through the purposes of a Cop … strike a reached agreement does give you some reminder that there’s cause for a little bit of hope in the world.”
Updated
Mary Robinson has arrived at Cop28 just days after her exchange with the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, over the role of fossil fuels in limiting global heating to 1.5C caused controversy at the climate summit.
In a picture near the Blue Zone entrance, the former president of Ireland reiterated the need to phase out fossil fuels to meet the target.
“Countries must do more than offer superficial pledges. We need radical collaboration to ensure an ambitious response plan to the Global Stocktake. To protect the 1.5°C warming limit this requires a phase out of all fossil fuels,” she said on X.
Earlier this week, Al Jaber was forced into a fierce defence of his views on climate science, after the Guardian revealed his comment that there was “no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C”.
Mary Robinson arrives at #COP28.
— The Elders (@TheElders) December 8, 2023
“Countries must do more than offer superficial pledges. We need radical collaboration to ensure an ambitious response plan to the Global Stocktake. To protect the 1.5°C warming limit this requires a phase out of all fossil fuels.” pic.twitter.com/ThxkFZbpjx
Updated
100 global Native groups call for negotiatiors to protect Indigenous rights during clean energy transition
One hundred global Native groups and allies published an open letter on Thursday calling for Cop28 negotiators to protect Indigenous rights during the clean energy transition.
The letter, signed by dozens of Indigenous-led organisations as well as environmental advocacy groups such as Earthjustice and anti-poverty groups including Oxfam, urged delegates to fight for policies that would require the consent of Indigenous communities before their ancestral lands could be mined.
“We have ancestral, cultural, and spiritual ties to our lands that not only require our participation in climate advocacy but also call us to commit to the proper stewardship practices of nature that are deeply rooted in our ways of life,” it says.
Native people, the letter asserts, are among the global leaders in demanding the phase-out of fossil fuels, but without proper safeguards, that transition could put those communities at risk.
Clean energy products such as solar panels, wind turbines and batteries for energy storage and electric vehicles require far more minerals to produce than their fossil fuel-powered counterparts. A 2022 study found that 54% of deposits of minerals needed in the global energy transition – including lithium, copper, nickel, and others – are on or near the land of Indigenous people.
The letter demands that officials recognise the rights of Native communities to have input on decisions about mining projects on those lands, including by protecting the right to free, prior, and informed consent as outlined in previous UN agreements.
Oil, gas and mining companies have long exploited Indigenous people and land, the letter says, but at Cop28, officials have an opportunity to “define a better and more inclusive world that serves all communities and all peoples”.
Updated
Cop28 president to give press conference about ministerial pairings as negotiations enter new stage
The Cop28 president Sultan Al Jaber will soon give a press conference here in Dubai about the ministerial pairings at Cop28, a sign that negotiations are entering an important new stage.
Every climate summit, an environment minister from the Global North and Global South are paired together to oversee talks on key subjects to help reach consensus for the final text.
This process beings when talks with government official have gone as far as they can and ministers need to begin making compromises to reach a final political agreement. The UAE presidency, led by Sultan Al Jaber, will then be responsible for bringing it all together.
At Cop28, language on phasing out fossil fuels is likely to be a key point of division, as will the text climate change adaption which is seen as a crucial issue in the developing world.
Carbon Brief’s Daisy Dunne has this year’s ministerial pairings.
NEW: Minister pairings for crucial phase of #COP28 negotiations have been announced
— Daisy Dunne (@daisydunnesci) December 8, 2023
Global Stocktake: South Africa🇿🇦 & Denmark🇩🇰 - (🇩🇰 leads @beyondoilgas group of countries pushing for all fossil fuels to be phased out)
Mitigation: Singapore🇸🇬 & Norway🇳🇴
(1/2)
Adaptation: Chile🇨🇱 & Australia🇦🇺
— Daisy Dunne (@daisydunnesci) December 8, 2023
Means of implementation: Egypt🇪🇬 & Canada🇨🇦
(Press briefing from them shortly, at 12:30pm Dubai time!)
Interesting bit from COP28 presdiency:
— Daisy Dunne (@daisydunnesci) December 8, 2023
"For the first time, the COP28 Presidency started the Ministerial Pair engagement early; and over the past six months they have worked closely with the Presidency and Parties."
Separately, an informal group of ministers is also being consulted by the presidency on the role of fossil fuels in the final agreement which includes the Canadian environment minister. Others are understood to have been asked for input.
Updated
More from my colleague Patrick Greenfield on Canada’s role over the coming days.
The Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, has congratulated Canada on the country’s plans to require its fossil fuel industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which have inspired a must-have fashion accessory at Cop28.
Earlier this week, the oil and gas chief was forced into a fierce defence of his views on climate science, after the Guardian revealed his comment that there was “no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C”.
On Thursday, Al Jaber praised Canada’s decision to force its fossil industry into cuts of between 35-38% below 2019 levels, starting in 2030, and said the decarbonisation of all heavy emitting industries was a top priority.
“[Thursday]’s news that Canada plans to cap pollution from the oil and gas industry is an important step on their decarbonisation journey, and I applaud Canada for their decision,” Al Jaber said.
“Cop28 is focused on raising ambition and delivering practical action that will help reduce emissions by 43% by 2030, to keep 1.5C within reach. We have made the decarbonisation of all heavy-emitting industries a top priority and are engaging with countries and companies to triple renewables, double energy efficiency, reduce methane, and scale hydrogen.
“We continue to call on all oil and gas companies to sign onto the Cop28 oil and gas decarbonisation charter, which requires companies to end routine flaring and methane emissions by 2030 and align on a path to net zero at or before 2050. And we will continue to push for more.”
Canada’s emission cap policy has also become a must-have fashion accessory in Dubai.
The cap “emissions” 🧢 from the Canadians at #Cop28 pic.twitter.com/Q6VDfp7g62
— Patrick Greenfield (@pgreenfielduk) December 8, 2023
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Cop28 president asks Canada to develop language on phase-out of fossil fuels
Canada has been asked by the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, to help develop language on the potential phase down or phase out of fossil fuels, its environment minister told reporters on Friday morning.
Steven Guilbeault, a former activist who is environment minister for the fourth largest oil and gas producer in the world, announced that Canada would require its fossil fuel industry to cut its emissions between 35% to 38% below 2019 levels starting in 2030 on Thursday.
Guilbeault said he was confident “historic” language on fossil fuels would be agreed.
“We have been asked by the UAE presidency to help find common language that will be acceptable to all parties. This is what we will be doing in the coming days with many of our allies both north and south,” he said.
“I am confident we have to leave Dubai and Cop28 with some language on fossil fuels. Will it be everything we want it to be? We’ll have to see. Even if it’s not as ambitious as some would want, it would still be a historic moment. I’ve been coming to Cop since Cop1 in 1995 in Berlin. It would be the first time in almost 30 years of international negotiations that we can agree on language regarding fossil fuels.”
Canada has been asked by the UAE Cop28 presidency to help develop language on the role of fossil fuels that is acceptable to all parties, @s_guilbeault told reporters this morning pic.twitter.com/7yxZ4JGXtH
— Patrick Greenfield (@pgreenfielduk) December 8, 2023
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Australia's climate change minister pledges AUS$150m in climate finance
Australia’s climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has arrived for the final days of negotiations with a pledge of AUS$150m (US$100m) in climate finance - mainly targeted at Pacific countries, and none of it for the new loss and damage fund.
Australia instead announced A$100m (US$67m) for the newly created Pacific Resilience Facility, a trust fund set up through the Pacific Islands Forum to invest in small-scale climate and disaster resilience projects, and A$50m (US$33m) for the Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest climate financing mechanism.
It is the country’s first pledge to the Green Climate Fund since it rejoined this year. Scott Morrison, the rightwing prime minister who lost power in 2022, pulled the country out of what he called “some global climate fund” in 2018.
In a media conference, Bowen said Australia was focused on directly meeting Pacific needs and priorities, and described the resilience fund as “by Pacific leaders for Pacific circumstances”.
Asked if Australia had decided not to commit to loss and damage - which has not yet been backed by major pledges from many countries - Bowen said Australia would “continue to engage” with it and had asked for a minimum allocation for small island developing states least developed countries.
“It has been agreed there will be a minimum allocation. It has not yet been agreed what that percentage is. So we want to engage in that conversation going forward.”
He acknowledged the Green Climate Fund commitment was “modest”. The conservative coalition had contributed $200m in 2014 under then prime minister Tony Abbott, a climate denier, before later pulling out.
“I’ve been very clear in all my public and private statements… that we want to see the Green Climate Fund doing more and better in the Pacific, and that is why we’ve made a modest contribution to get back at the table,” Bowen said.
The full story is here.
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Today’s focus at Cop is on youth and children. And there are demonstrations by young people calling for more urgent action are already up and running.
Holding the line for a #JustTransition to a #1pt5 world -on Youth, Children day at #COP28UAE our youth activists host a #PowerUp booster to send a wave of energy, momentum and support across the high level ministerial discussions which resume today. #resilientPacific pic.twitter.com/TPHJWCMYj0
— Pacific Islands Forum (@ForumSEC) December 8, 2023
On a lighter note here is a piece outlining what people got up to on yesterday’s rest day – from world’s biggest waterpark to a an indoor ski centre?
As we wait for Cop28 to get back into full swing this is a sobering piece that highlights how far richer G20 countries still have to go in the fight against climate change.
Some delegates have raised concerns about the cost of interpretation at Cop28, which has left a number of people unable to follow events.
With tens of thousands attending the climate summit from around the world, good quality translation is an important part of the functioning of Cop28. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the UN and translation is provided for many events at a cost to organisers.
But some cannot afford to pay, which has left some delegates feeling excluded, relying on others to explain what is going on.
Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos, an environmental justice coordinator from the US who has been an ad hoc translator for Indigenous delegates from the Amazon to help them follow proceedings, said there was growing frustration.
“Almost everything is held in English. Some may have an interpreter if they can afford to pay for it but for everyone else, they can’t pay for that. People are coming all the way to Cop and still don’t understand what’s going on, which is really gross to me.
“They don’t get to actually participate or share their story. Folks are risking their livelihoods to be here and share what’s happening in their communities. They can’t understand or understand what is going on. It’s really frustrating,” she said.
The UNFCCC has been contacted for comment.
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More than 250 organisations across the world call on US to abandon support for liquefied natural gas
Over 250 organisations from across the globe released a letter today calling on the US to abandon its support for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at COP28 today.
The groups are demanding a stop to the permitting of new facilities in the US and an end to financial and diplomatic support for LNG globally.
The United States, now the largest exporter of LNG on the planet, is expected to see exports double by 2027. The pipeline of proposed but not yet under construction facilities represents a “carbon bomb” according to campaigners, threatening to lock-in over 1400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually — equivalent to the emissions of 378 new coal plants.
“Any push for a phase-out of all fossil fuels at COP28 risks falling flat if the world’s leading LNG exporter shows no signs of changing course,” the letter reads. “We urge the Biden administration to publicly commit during the COP to no further regulatory, financial, or diplomatic support for LNG in the United States or anywhere in the world.”
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And for a sense what is at stake over the coming days my colleague Fiona Harvey has written this article arguing negotiations are going to reach a new intensity as nations argue about whether to phase out or phase down fossil fuels.
To catch up on where we have got to so far – from loss and damage to the latest utterings of oil boss and Cop president Al Jaber - this is a useful round-up by my colleague Mark Oliver.
Good morning! This is Matthew Taylor, on the eighth day (if we don’t count yesterday’s rest day) of the 28th Conference of the Parties climate change summit, or Cop28.
The Guardian will be liveblogging the negotiations throughout, as always, and we look forward to your contributions: please email me on matthew.taylor@theguardian.com with thoughts and suggestions. Helena Horton (helena.horton@theguardian.com) will be taking over later on.
The theme for today is youth, children, education and skills, but there will also be some discussions around food as the Food and Agriculture Organisation holds a day of events.
The delegates will be returning after a much needed day of rest, hopefully re-energised, and ready for the intense week of negotiations ahead. Stick with us for all the updates.
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