Loss and damage fund agreed on first day of Cop28
It was an action-packed opening day in Dubai as the Cop28 conference kicked off, and the world leaders don’t even arrive until tomorrow.
The big news of the day was that countries reached agreement on setting up a loss and damage fund to help countries deal with the impacts of climate breakdown, something that had long been a sticking point in negotiations
The UAE immediately pledged $100m to the fund, and was followed by contributions from the EU, led by Germany, the UK, the US and Japan, though the US in particular were criticised for their relatively modest pledge
The World Meteorological Organization said that 2023 would be the hottest year ever recorded. UN secretary-general António Guterres responded to the news by saying “We are living through climate collapse in real time”
A representative of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said coal is, and will continue to be, an important part of India’s energy needs
We’ll be back again tomorrow for day two, when the focus will be on world leaders’ speeches and the official opening of the conference, led by the UK’s King Charles III.
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The Guardian will be hosting a livestreamed event on Tuesday discussing the extent to which fossil fuel companies are able and willing to transition into renewables.
It will feature the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, who will chair a panel including Tessa Khan, founder and executive director of Uplift; Christiana Figueres, the former UNFCCC chief; and Mike Coffin of Carbon Tracker.
More details can be found here:
Jim Skea, the new chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has given an interview to the Financial Times (£€$) about carbon capture and storage.
Skea is optimistic about the technological side of things, saying that the key elements have all been technically proven but that the main barriers to its widespread use lie in the economics and business models.
It’s one of these large-scale technologies which probably will not happen unless you really get the right kind of policy framing to enable it to come forward. It won’t happen just because the private sector chooses to do it. And also because, if you put carbon dioxide in the ground, it frankly is of no value to any human on earth, sitting under the ground. So somebody has to pay to put it there.
Carbon capture and storage is expected to be a key point of debate during the conference, with major fossil fuel producers insistent that any agreement to phase out fossil fuels includes the word “unabated” – ie, the burning of them without the capture of the resultant emissions.
Skea says he is moderately optimistic due to the pace of progress:
There are things happening today – if you had told me 10, 20 years ago what would happen with renewable energy, I would have fallen off my chair. We have made enormous progress in some areas. But it’s worthwhile saying that we still have the difficult bit to do.
A new paper from the Climate Social Science Network examines the role of Saudi Arabia in obstructing progress at climate talks over the past few decades.
The key quote the authors highlight is:
What sets Saudi Arabia apart from most other countries is that it sees its national interest as best served by obstructing intergovernmental efforts to tackle climate change
The report finds that the fossil resource rich country has spent years undermining climate science, and that its intransigence has provided a useful shield for other countries to hide behind.
The authors warn that the latest tactics used by the Saudis focus on the promotion of carbon capture and storage, as well as atmospheric carbon removal. These technologies are still in their infancy and scientists believe it will be a while until they are viable at scale, and some say they may not ever play a significant part in climate mitigation.
The report finds that although Saudi Arabia has set a target of net zero emissions by 2060,
the country’s teams have opposed mentions of ‘net zero’, ‘strong emission reductions’, ‘strong, rapid, and sustained reductions of CO2 and non-CO2 emissions’ and ‘deep reduction’
The authors suggest one process that could be adopted to prevent Saudi Arabia blocking progress would be to move away from the need for consensus in the talks, and instead require a supermajority of 7/8ths of parties. They say this “would capture overwhelming support across the globe, while sidelining a tiny minority of obstructers. Unanimity is not required, nor is it compatible with climate action at the level required.”
Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and Mozambican politician Graça Machel, both members of the Elders group of former statespeople, have written in the Guardian today urging world leaders not to squander the opportunities of Cop28.
The Glasgow pact agreed at Cop26 called for a doubling of finance to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience. Developed countries must fulfil this commitment. Countries must also adopt an ambitious framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation to guide action and investment on adaptation. We urge leaders to seize the moment and send an unequivocal message that we need urgent, meaningful investments in order to fortify people, economies and ecosystems against the escalating threats of the climate crisis.
Crucially, the framework must include robust, quantifiable targets so that we can all track progress over time, and must include means of implementation – finance, capacity building and technology transfer – to support the delivery of the framework, so that it doesn’t become become another hollow promise that is never kept.
Read the full piece here:
The pope, who had been expected to attend the conference and speak on Saturday, cancelled his visit due to illness but sent the conference a message from his sickbed.
“May participants in Cop28 be strategists who focus on the common good and the future of their children, rather than the vested interests of certain countries or businesses,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“May they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame.”
The Vatican said the pope still hoped to participate in the conference in some form, but did not say how.
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Fifi Peters of CNBC Africa asks how the levels of donations to the loss and damage fund were determined, pointing out the low level of commitment by the US, and the absence of any pledges from other major emitters such as China and India.
Stiell says the response to the calls for funding has been unprecedented, and says pledging will continue over the next two days during the leaders’ summit, as he expects many countries will want to save their announcements for their moment in the spotlight on stage.
He says he is encouraged by the pledges so far and that he thinks it bodes well for the next steps of the process.
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Sophie Mokoena of the South African Broadcasting Corporation asks what hurdles they foresee coming up in negotiations concerning the global stocktake – the annual reckoning of how much progress each country is making towards its climate targets.
Stiell concedes there is a “massive gap” between where we are and where we need to be.
“There are differing views on how prescriptive or non-prescriptive the global stocktake should be, so that will be one area of debate.”
Stiell says there will also be debate over how forward-looking or backward-looking the stocktake should be. This is a reference to the debate over how much historical responsibility for emissions should be considered as part of pledges versus current and future emissions.
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Time for questions from the press. Ivan Couronne of AFP asks how much movement Al Jaber had seen from parties on what they were willing to offer.
Al Jaber responds by saying he told stakeholders a month ago that he wants an unprecedented outcome for this conference. He says their ambition is for “the maximum, highest ambition possible” and that they would leave no stone unturned.
“Compromise is going to be essential. It is going to be a catalyst and an enabler.”
He vows that we will see “full transparency and full inclusion” from the UAE.
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He passes on to Hana Alhashimi, the UAE’s chief climate negotiator. She says the UAE’s negotiating team is two-thirds female, and two-thirds youth, from a range of diverse backgrounds.
She says that there were more than 160 items on the agenda, and expresses gratitude to everyone involved for getting that approved in order that they could begin negotiations in a timely fashion. There had been fears that a lack of agreement on the agenda could hinder and delay negotiations.
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Next is Majid al-Suwaidi, the Cop28 director-general, who lays out the programme for the next couple of days, during which world leaders and their representatives will descend on the conference.
He also talks up the UAE’s hosting plans, vowing that it will be “completely inclusive”.
“We have no time for polarisation and argument; it is time for partnerships, solidarity and action.”
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Al Jaber continues, saying the loss and damage fund has had $420m pledged to it in the first few hours.
He singles out Germany, the UK, the EU, the US and Japan for their pledges.
He thanks the delegates for their attendance, and vows to work “hand in hand with everyone” to deliver “real action and results”.
It is now the turn of the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, who welcomes the delegates.
“I’m sure that most of you feel what I actually feel. I came into this task with a full understanding of what it takes to manage this process. I took this task with humility and with a deeep sense of responsibility and a great sense of urgency. That’s why we have approached this task in a completely different and unconventional way.
“The extraordinary effort that has been put into this task, it is paying off. Why so, and how so? The fact that we have been able to achieve such a significant milestone on the first day of this Cop is unprecedented. This is historic. The fact that we were able to get the agenda voted and agreed on without any delay, for those that have been involved in previous Cops, this is just unprecedented.
“The fact we have been able to deliver what was promised in Sharm el-Sheikh. The fact that we have been able to operationalise and pass the threshold that had been associated with the establishment of this fund [ie the creation of a loss and damage funding facility] is a historic, unprecedented achievement.
“I feel excited, determined, and I’m sure most of you feel the positivity, the optimistic environment and ambience that we are all experiencing here at this very place. I have been to 12 Cops before. Each one had its own unique proposition. I must say though, never ever did I feel this level of excitement, and this level of enthusiasm among all sincere and genuine parties involved in this discussion.
“Now the real work begins. I am determined to demonstrate that this Cop is a different Cop, and this president is a different presidency. We are laser-focused on keeping [the Paris agreement target of limiting emissions to] 1.5C [above preindustrial levels] within reach.”
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The conference has finally begun, an hour and 45 minutes late. Moderator Alexander Saier apologises for the delay and introduces the panel, which includes the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, and the UNFCCC chief, Simon Stiell, who praises the loss and damage funding deal agreed earlier and thanks the Cop27 hosts Egypt for their work over the past year.
“This is 30 years’ worth of discussion which concluded in Sharm el-Sheikh last year, which concluded with the agreement to establish this funding arrangement.”
But, Stiell explains, over the past year countries have had to work out how to actually set up the fund.
“Today’s news gives the Cop28 climate conference a running start … we must keep our eyes on the prize and every second counts.”
“We still have a lot of work ahead of us. Loss and damage is just one of the negotiating tracks, but the spirit in which parties have engaged as we ended the pre-sessional week, where negotiators were engaging and engaging constructively … what is consistent is that willingness to start these negotiations with a constructive and engaged outlook. So we need to work and build on what we have seen today as we work through the 12 or 13 days that are ahead of us.”
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We’re still waiting, so here’s another of the best dressed conference attendees.
An early frontrunner in this year’s fashion stakes is Briseida Iglesias, a Guna indigenous leader from Panama, sage of the songs and other spiritual practices of the Gunadule people.
She is the founder of Bundorgan Women’s Network, a front line organisation for the revitalisation of ancestral farming and medicine practices. She is also an expert on the traditional textiles worn by Guna women as symbol of protection, cultural resistance and connection with mother Earth.
The conference is still being delayed – 80 minutes overdue now – but we are assured “they are on their way and will be here very soon”.
When asked what “very soon” meant, the Cop28 spokesman replied “10 to 15 minutes” – the same response he gave an hour ago – which was met with laughter in the hall.
British academic Matthew Hedges, who was imprisoned by the United Arab Emirates for seven months after being accused of spying, has warned visitors to Cop28 not to fall into the same trap he did.
He warned attendees to: “take a clean phone, a new phone with limited access. Do not have social media on your phone, or if you do, make sure it is a business account, with two-factor authentication, or something like this, and do the same for the safety, integrity of your emails.”
He also said attendees should be particularly careful not to inadvertently put their contacts at risk:
“It isn’t just you, it’s anyone you are connecting with, because there are laws which restrict and criminalise working with international organisations that could be perceived to be critical of the government.”
Dan Sabbagh has the full story here:
It’s all about fossil fuels. That was the key message from the Climate Action Network, the world’s largest coalition of climate NGOs, who used their first daily briefing to echo calls from António Guterres demanding an agreement on phasing out oil, gas and coal.
“This is going to be a festival of distraction, of miracle tech fixes including carbon capture and storage which will be framed as essential. But this is no substitute for the full phase out of fossil fuels which must be fast, full, fair and funded; it’s about these four Fs,” said Romain Ioualalen, global policy campaign manager at Oil Change International, at CAN’s first daily briefing.
It’s hard to stay optimistic that Cop28 can achieve the decisive action needed to tackle the climate emergency, given the host’s intimate relationship with oil and gas, but giving up will play into the fossil fuel industry’s hands, warned Teresa Anderson, ActionAid International’s global climate justice lead. “We cannot stop believing, we cannot give up. We have to get an outcome on fossil fuel phaseout.”
Long queues have been reported by attendees at the conference. Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute tweeted that he had been waiting an hour for registration.
After an hour of queuing, I can now see the front entrance for #COP28. The advice for anyone else intending to register today, wear comfortable footwear and cool clothing, and bring water, sun cream and lots of patience! pic.twitter.com/Q4Ezncgm4R
— Bob Ward (@ret_ward) November 30, 2023
It is still far less chaotic than the scenes in Glasgow two years ago, where thousands of people were kept outside for hours, and the notoriously queue-plagued Cop15 in Copenhagen in 2009. Those in the queues will also be glad that Dubai is significantly warmer than those venues.
While we wait for the press conference to start – now 45 minutes overdue – here’s another entry to the best dressed competition in the form of Grace Louis, 23, from the Toposa tribe in South Sudan, where drought and floods are severely affeecting communities.
Grace is a Cop first timer and is in Dubai representing the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.
The US – which is both the world’s wealthiest country and its biggest polluter – is coming in for some criticism for its relatively paltry contribution to the loss and damage fund.
Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, said: “The initial funding pledges are clearly inadequate and will be a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of the need they are to address. In particular, the amount announced by the US is embarrassing for president Biden and John Kerry. It just shows how this must be just the start.
“Although rules have been agreed regarding how the fund will operate there are no hard deadlines, no targets and countries are not obligated to pay into it, despite the whole point being for rich, high polluting nations to support vulnerable communities who have suffered from climate impacts.
“The US and other rich countries wanted the fund to be hosted by the World Bank. This has been agreed, but on an interim basis, and only as long as it operates in a transparent and easy to access way, something the World Bank is not known for. If it proves unfit for the task, we will need to set up a separate entity to do the job.
“The most pressing issue now is to get money flowing into the fund and to the people that need it. The pledged funds must not just be repackaged commitments. We need new money, in the form of grants, not loans, otherwise it will just pile more debt onto some of the poorest countries in the world, defeating the point of a fund designed to improve lives.”
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Some key points on the loss and damage funding agreement:
The World Bank will be the interim host for a period of four years, and the fund will have an independent secretariat with developed and developing countries represented
It’s been agreed that the fund will have “at least’ $100bn a year by 2030, with developing countries saying that actual needs are already closer to $400bn annually. Loss and damage for climate breakdown cost about $1.5tn in 2022, according to one recent study.
Payments into the fund will be voluntary, with developed countries “invited”, not obliged, to contribute
All developing countries will be eligible to directly access resources from the fund, with a minimum percentage allocation to the least developed countries and small island developing states.
The press conference scheduled for 5pm local time (1pm GMT) has still not begun, and attendees have been told it is likely to be another 10 to 15 minutes. Restless delegates can be seen pacing the floors of the conference centre.
The conference – when it does begin – can be watched here on the official UNFCCC feed:
The term “loss and damage” has been debated and fought over fiercely since it was first used by the UN in the Bali Action Plan of 2007. If you’re wondering what exactly it refers to, my colleague Nina Lakhani has written a handy guide to what it is and why the entire Cop process hinges on it here:
More reactions are coming in to the the agreement on the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund.
Ghiwa Nakat, executive director of Greenpeace MENA, said: “For communities suffering from climate-related loss and damage every contribution matters. This is the kind of leadership we expect from the host country and we urge other countries to follow suit. Rich developed countries must step up with major contributions to the new fund, and polluting industries must also be made to pay. If the Cop presidency can build on this with a consensus agreement on a just phasing out of fossil fuels, Cop28 will indeed be an historic event.”
Mariana Paoli, Christian Aid’s global advocacy lead, said: “This time last year, at the start of Cop27 in Egypt, the loss and damage fund was not even on the agenda for that meeting. So it’s a testament to the determination of developing country negotiators that we now already have the fund agreed and established.
“The fact that the World Bank is to be the interim host of the fund is a worry for developing countries. It needs to be closely scrutinised to ensure vulnerable communities are able to get easy and direct access to funds and the whole operation is run with far more transparency than the World Bank normally operates on. These were the conditions agreed by countries and if they are not kept to, a separate arrangement will be needed.
“It’s now vital we see the fund filled. People who have contributed the least to the climate crisis are already suffering climate losses and damages. The longer they are forced to wait for financial support to cover these costs, the greater the injustice. At Cop28 we need to see significant new and additional pledges of money to the loss and damage fund, and not just repackaged climate finance that has already been committed.”
Fanny Petitbon, head of advocacy for Care France, said: “Today is a landmark day for climate justice, but clearly not the end of the fight. We hope the agreement will result in rapid delivery of support for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. However, it has many shortcomings. It enables historical emitters to evade their responsibility. It also fails to establish the scale of finance needed and ensure that the fund is anchored in human rights principles.
“The loss and damage fund must not remain an empty promise. We urgently call on all governments who are most responsible for the climate emergency and have the capacity to contribute to announce significant pledges in the form of grants. Historical emitters must lead the way. Financial commitments must not be about robbing Peter to pay Paul: funding must be new and additional.”
The US has announced $17.5m for the loss and damage fund, $4.5m for the Pacific Resilience Facility which is focused on the island nations in that ocean, and $2.5m for the Santiago Network, which provides technical support for countries affected by climate breakdown.
Japan has also pledged $10m for the main loss and damage fund.
These significant pledges, which already amount to about $300m, will increase the pressure on other wealthy nations to contribute to the fund.
The funding is starting to roll in. Germany has also announced it will put $100m towards the loss and damage fund, and the UK has announced £60m ($75m), made up of £40 for the fund and £20m for funding arrangements.
Kate Hampton of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation welcomed the UAE’s pledge: “Dr Sultan has managed what no previous Cop president has and got a big decision agreed on day one. Their $100m is a bold move of south-south solidarity. This is exciting leadership.”
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UAE pledges $100m to loss and damage fund
Immediately after the announcement that the loss and damage funding arrangements had been agreed, the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting the talks, pledged $100m to the fund.
BREAKING: The UAE is committing $100 million to Loss and Damage, an important milestone in delivering for vulnerable communities and building resilience for people suffering the devastating impacts of climate change.
— COP28 UAE (@COP28_UAE) November 30, 2023
We encourage leaders to raise ambition and unlock the crucial… pic.twitter.com/1q2jopFuok
Loss and damage funding arrangement agreed
Countries have just agreed on the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund to help poorer countries deal with the impacts of climate breakdown.
The news drew a standing ovation from delegates.
The creation of the fund has long been a stumbling block at climate talks, and the agreement on the first day of the conference has been tentatively welcomed by many delegates, although it will not be officially rubberstamped until the close of the conference.
Some early reaction:
“The loss and damage fund will be a lifeline to people in their darkest hour, enabling families to rebuild their homes after disaster strikes, support farmers when their crops are wiped out and relocate those that become permanently displaced by rising seas. This outcome was hard-fought but is a clear step forward.
“The success of this fund will depend on the speed and scale at which funds start flowing to people in need. We call on world leaders to announce substantial contributions at Cop28 – not only to cover start-up costs but also to fill the fund itself. People in vulnerable countries will face up to $580bn in climate-related damages in 2030 and this number will only continue to grow.”
– Ani Dasgupta, President & CEO, World Resources Institute
“Amid the historic decision to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund within a year of its establishment, addressing underlying concerns becomes critical. On one hand, rich countries have pushed for the World Bank to host this fund under the guise of ensuring a speedy response. Conversely, they have attempted to dilute their financial obligations and resisted defining a clear finance mobilisation scale.
“The responsibility now lies with affluent nations to meet their financial obligations in a manner proportionate to their role in the climate crisis, which has been primarily driven by decades of unrestrained fossil fuel consumption and a lack of adequate climate finance delivered to the global south.”
- Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International
Climate justice advocates have condemned the atrocities in Gaza and called for a permanent ceasefire, in the first Palestinian solidarity event of Cop28.
“As human beings, we cannot ignore the absolutely horrendous situation in Gaza. But it is also not a coincidence that the same countries allowing and supporting Israel are the same ones blocking progress on climate action,” said Lidy Nacpil, director of the Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development and convener of the Cop28 Coalition. “As the whole world gathers here, it is our responsibility to talk about what is happening in Palestine.”
The UNFCCC cut off the livestream as Asad Rehman, director of the UK-based organisation War on Want, called for a permanent ceasefire and accountability.
“The Palestinian struggle is woven into every struggle for justice including climate justice,” he said. “We want an end to ethnic cleansing, an end to the genocide, an end to war crimes. We want a free Palestine.”
“There is no climate justice without human rights.”
— Nina Lakhani (@ninalakhani) November 30, 2023
“Stop the genocide, stop the ecocide”. Palestinian solidarity at Cop28…. Unfccc cut off the live stream as @chilledasad100 called for war crimes to be punished pic.twitter.com/6yK69JRw4q
The livestream was resumed after the organisers and attendees made a lot of noise.
More than 15,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis have died since 7 October. Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza strip since Hamas’s cross-border attack has led to widespread food and water shortages, as well as the destruction of agricultural land and water infrastructure. More than 95% of the water in Gaza is unfit for consumption, while water salinisation and treatment plants have been shut down due to fuel shortages imposed by Israel, and in some cases partially destroyed by the bombardment.
“As Indigenous people of the world, we are heartbroken to see the genocide and ecoside in Palestine,” said Mesiah Burciaga-Hameed, who read out a statement on behalf of the Indigenous people’s caucus. “There is no climate justice without human rights.”
“There can be no climate justice on occupied land,” said Dylan Hamilton, a 19-year-old climate justice and trans rights activist from Scotland. “The youth stand with Palestine.”
The briefing ended with an emotional address from Tariq Luthun, a Palestinian American from Friends of the Earth Palestine, who said denying water to people was a form of collective punishment that has also been used in the US, for example the mass water shutoffs for overdue bills in Detroit and the lead contamination scandal in Flint, Michigan.
“What good is to be found in a green world if the roots are soaked in blood,” said Luthum. “I reject the notion that some people have to suffer so that others can prosper.”
The event ended with calls of “Viva viva Palestina”.
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The role that carbon markets will play in helping countries meet their Paris commitments is up for discussion at Cop28, and a series of forest deals made by a little-known member of Dubai’s ruling royal family is causing controversy.
Rights to an area of land larger than the size of the UK have been sold off to UAE-based firm Blue Carbon, which is chaired by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum. So far, the exploratory deals cover a fifth of Zimbabwe, 10% of Liberia, 10% of Zambia and 8% of Tanzania, amounting to a total area the size of the UK.
In October, Blue Carbon signed its latest deal for “millions” of hectares of forest in Kenya. The company said it was also working on an agreement with Pakistan. More deals are expected in the coming months. Critics have called them a new “scramble for Africa”.
Blue Carbon is not alone. Today, Tanzania National Parks - which cares for famous parks like the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro - announced it has signed a deal to turn six protected areas into a 1.8m hectare carbon project, which would make it one of the largest in the world.
The Guardian has looked into the Sheikh’s business dealings, with concerns raised about his involvement selling Russian’s Sputnik V vaccine, acting as a dealmaker with Ghana, Guyana, Lebanon and Pakistan at lucrative premiums in 2021. One of the listed Blue Carbon advisors is an Italian fugitive.
Read more here:
This is Alan Evans now taking over from Damien Gayle for the rest of the day. You can reach me at alan.evans@theguardian.com, or on X (formerly Twitter) at @itsalanevans.
Our reporters Damian Carrington and Nina Lakhani have sent updates on the food situation on the ground:
If climate summits march, like armies, on their stomachs then Cop28 looks in good shape.
Unlike the first days of the disorganised Cop27 in Egypt, there is actually food. It’s mostly vegan too, a nod to the enormous impact meat has on the climate. An avocado, edamame and hummus sandwich was one offering.
It’s not all cheap, though. A coffee is $6 (£4.75), more expensive even than most cafes in New York, so delegates without big budgets are coming prepared with packed lunches and thermoses.
Carnivores are catered for though, and it’s halal – eg a chicken sausage roll. But it’s a clear improvement on the meat feast of Cop24 in Poland, and the beefburger vans of Cop27.
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Fossil fuels have turned Indigenous communities into sacrifice zones, endangering their land, water and air and fuelling displacement, one of Cop28’s first briefings has been told.
Brenna TwoBears, lead coordinator for the Indigenous Environmental Network in Oregon, was among Indigenous environmental experts who kicked off the first day of Cop28. They pledged their support for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and warned of the dangers market-based false solutions posed to Indigenous peoples and the global climate.
TwoBears said:
Indigenous people support the equitable phase out of coal, oil and gas without loopholes used to justify delays and false solutions and tech fixes that allow the fossil fuel regime to continue and grow, and which do not address the climate crisis… this must be accompanied by the fast track adoption of clean energy, a just transition in which no community or country is left behind.
Momentum has been building behind the proposal for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, with support from Indigenous organisations and communities facing some of the gravest threats from extreme weather events and slow-onset climate impacts, such as sea level rise and melting glaciers.
Eight nations – Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Niue, Antigua and Barbuda, and Timor-Leste – have also thrown their weight behind the idea.
Eriel Deranger, executive director of Indigenous Climate Action who is from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, an Arctic community where Canada exploits tar sands, said:
Carbon trading depends on the continued growth of emissions that will create more sacrifice zones. We cannot achieve a just transition without centring climate solutions on Indigenous and human rights.
Keir Starmer, the leader of the UK’s opposition Labour party, will have a series of meetings over two days with heads of states, business leaders and being hosted for an international investors roundtable on Friday at the Cop28 climate summit.
Starmer will be joined in Dubai by shadow energy security and net zero secretary, Ed Miliband, and shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy.
He will use the climate summit to emphasise his view that the push to net zero is an economic opportunity, and to say Labour is the only UK party with a plan to pragmatically harness the opportunities of the energy transition.
Starmer aims to draw a dividing line with the Conservative government, noting that prime minister Rishi Sunak was shamed into going to Cop27 and has used the year since to double down on his failures, turning off businesses and investors, failing to cut energy bills and make the UK energy secure. He will aim to get across that the Tories are more interested in sowing political division than facing the biggest challenges of the world.
During his visit to the summit, Starmer will set out some of the planks of an international climate strategy under a Labour government. Earlier this year, Starmer pledged to “throw everything” at net zero and the overhaul of the UK’s energy system and industries, promising new jobs in “the race of our lifetime” to a low-carbon future.
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“We are living through climate collapse in real time,” UN secretary-general António Guterres has told Cop28 delegates in Dubai, writes Guardian environment editor Damian Carrington.
He spoke at the launch of the World Meteorological Organization’s stark State of the Climate report, which said 2023 will be the hottest year ever recorded.
“This year has seen communities around the world pounded by fires, floods, and searing temperature – and the impact is devastating,” Guterres said. “Record global heating should send shivers down the spines of world leaders. And it should trigger them to act.”
The WMO report, timed to inform the negotiations at Cop28, said climate records had been shattered in 2023, leaving “a trail of devastation and despair”.
Data up to the end of October showed 2023 was about 1.4C (2.5F) above pre-industrial levels, driven by the continued rise in carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and by the return of the El Niño climate pattern. The latter is likely to make 2024 another record year, and bring the internationally agreed limit of 1.5C (2.7F) ever nearer.
Sultan Al Jaber officially opens the Cop28 climate summit
Sultan Al Jaber has officially opened the Cop28 climate talks in Dubai, after receiving the tiny hammer that is the symbol of his presidency.
Reuters has filed the first report of his opening remarks to delegates, based on a text circulated to journalists. The news agency quotes Al Jaber as saying there were “strong views about the idea of including language on fossil fuels and renewables in the negotiated text ... I ask you to work together.”
“Colleagues, let history reflect the fact that this is the Presidency that made a bold choice to proactively engage with oil and gas companies,” Jaber said. “We had many hard discussions. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.”
Al Jaber noted that many national oil companies had adopted net-zero targets for 2050. “I am grateful that they have stepped up to join this game-changing journey,” Jaber said. “But, I must say, it is not enough, and I know that they can do more.”
While Sultan Al Jaber says some oil companies have set net zero targets for 2050, those only cover the emissions from producing the oil and gas.
No companies have committed to cutting production of the polluting fuels themselves, which is what scientists are clear is needed.
Indeed, the fossil fuel industry plans to produce double the amount of oil, gas and coal than could be burned while keeping under internationally agreed limits for global heating. And the company with the biggest net-zero busting plans is Adnoc, the UAE’s state oil giant, whose CEO is Al Jaber himself.
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The tiny hammer has been presented to Sultan Al Jaber, officially transferring to him the presidency of the Cop process.
Sultan Al Jaber has been handed the tiny hammer which makes him officially the #Cop28 President pic.twitter.com/105PXIIaQu
— Joe Lo is @joeloclimate@bsky.social (@joeloyo) November 30, 2023
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India's foreign minister insists coal 'would remain' its main source of energy
Even as the Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, prepares to travel to the Cop28 summit, a top official in his government insisted coal will remain India’s main source of energy for years to come.
“Coal is, and would, remain an important part of India’s energy needs,” Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India’s foreign secretary, told reporters ahead of Modi’s trip to Dubai.
India currently depends on coal for almost three-quarters of its electricity generation and is adding 17 gigawatts of coal-based power generation capacity at its fastest pace in recent years to meet a record increase in power demand.
There is hope this year’s climate talks will include efforts to secure a global agreement on the phase-out of fossil fuels, of which coal is the dirtiest and most carbon intensive. India and China have been opposing attempts to block construction of new coal-fired power stations, according to Reuters.
Kwatra said India expects a clear roadmap on climate financing at Cop28 and has always been upfront about its support for a “loss-and-damage” fund aimed at helping countries recover from environmental degradation caused by industrial development.
“Loss and damage fund will be of great benefit to developing countries,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
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Delegates are just beginning to find their way around the Cop28 climate talks venue this morning. My environment desk colleague Nina Lakhani is there and sent this dispatch on what it looks like around Expo City in Abu Dhabi.
It’s day one and the sprawling Expo venue is beginning to fill up with delegates, diplomats and activists from more than 180 countries, and among them are serious fashionistas bringing some style to the tense and formal negotiations.
Forget fashion week, the climate summit is both the place to see international clothing trends – and get to know the traditional dress of countries, communities and Indigenous territories that you’ve never visited.
From beaded hijabs, silk saris and brilliant white dishdashas to Mayan huipiles, Amazonian headdresses, and west African Ankara wax fabrics, getting to hang out with people from every corner of the planet is one of the highlights of Cop.
Worst dressed group? The media, without doubt, though some of our colleagues from Africa, Latin America and Asia make a lot more effort than us comfort seekers.
English may be the main negotiating language, wait in line for coffee or the bathroom, and you’ll hear a glorious array of languages and dialects. It’s outside the formal negotiations that the power of collaboration and grassroots community building comes into its own. There’s a lot not to like about Cop but the diversity and relationship building is a beautiful thing.
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Greenpeace has a message for African leaders heading to Cop28 today: “Stop False Solutions”.
Chers dirigeants africains, soyons sérieux une minute...
— Greenpeace Afrique (@GreenpeaceAfrik) November 29, 2023
Combien de COP prévoyez-vous encore avant d'apporter de vraies solutions ?
✋🚫 STOP AUX FAUSSES SOLUTIONS !#COP28 pic.twitter.com/jjxOBQYrVI
Delegates hope for early win on loss and damage fund
Delegates at Cop28 are hoping to achieve an early victory on a disaster fund on Thursday before the summit turns its attention to more contentious areas, such as the future of fossil fuels, Reuters is reporting.
The news agency says diplomats are hoping a draft deal on a loss and damage fund can be approved quickly at the start of the climate talks. The United Arab Emirates’ Cop28 presidency has already published a proposal for such a fund.
Once an agreement is reached, rich countries can begin pledging money. Nations including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands are expected to announce contributions over the next few days, European diplomats told Reuters.
“Everyone with the ability to pay should contribute,” said the EU climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, who said he wanted to “broaden the donor base beyond the usual suspects, simply because that reflects the reality of 2023.”
With governments preparing for long, tough negotiations on whether to agree to phase out coal, oil and gas, the main sources of carbon emissions, it is hoped an early win on loss and damage will pave the way for further compromises later on.
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Extinction Rebellion, the climate activist campaign, has issued a downbeat assessment of what we can expect from Cop28.
Some five years after they began their campaign for action on climate breakdown with their “declaration of rebellion” outside the UK parliament, XR says we have woken up to a world that “is as bad, if not worse than we predicted five years ago”, with 2023 set to be classified the hottest year on record.
In this context … we are once again seeing world leaders fly, on their private jets, to the next conference of the parties (Cop) on climate, Cop28. The conference will take place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, a nation built almost entirely on fossil fuel wealth. Cop28 is led by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, founder and chair of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). which has the largest net-zero busting plans in the world.
Before it has even begun, it is clear the Cop process has been captured by the fossil fuel economy. We are unlikely to see the rapid, just and equitable phaseout of all fossil fuels coming out of this process.
And yet XR says it will not simply ignore the talks at Cop, and it has issued calls for a number of outcomes it wants to see, including the honouring of climate finance grants, the urgent establishment of a loss and damage fund, debt cancellation and a fast, fair process.
To ignore Cop is to display our minority world arrogance and play into the hands of the system we are trying to fix. Those in power have designed Cop to their advantage — of course they want us to ignore it. Many majority world countries have no choice but to work with the United Nations (UN) because it is the only space that comes close to global democracy in which their voices have a presence.
The G77 will be there, and in Brazil, President Lula is calling for an Amazon Cop in 2030; many movements come to Cop trying to push for justice.
So XRUK’s position is: Yes, Cop28 is not good enough, but it’s all we’ve got.
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UK schools union says it is 'deeply concerned' at impact of climate crisis on pupils and education workers
The trade union representing the leaders of schools in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland has said it is “deeply concerned” at climate crisis and the impact it is having on pupils, education workers and communities across the world.
As part of a submission to the Cop28 climate talks by UK trade unions, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) called for governments “to prioritise their actions before it is too late”, pointing out that extreme climate events are disrupting the education of nearly 40 million children a year worldwide.
Helena Macormac, the NAHT’s international secretary, said:
It is vital that decisive and substantial collective international actions are taken as a matter of urgency – the future of our children and young people is at stake.
The UK government has said that tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is its number one international priority, yet the lack of investment and sustained joined up policy on this area would lead us to believe that this is not the case. Climate change is already having detrimental effect to education working conditions in the UK, with decades of state neglect of school buildings and classrooms not fit for purpose in extreme weather events. We are also already seeing an increase in ‘climate refugees’ and displaced pupils impacting on school communities.
It is vital that the pupil voice is heard within the climate crisis debate, and that they are able to access climate education – it is they that will pioneer the necessary solutions to the climate crisis. Governments must realise the integral role that pupils, school leaders and education providers play in tackling climate change, and work to deliver a ‘just transition’ for the future.
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At the Guardian we’ve been working hard to get you up to speed with what to expect from Cop28. If you can’t stop to read, you can listen.
The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast this week focuses on everything you need to know about the climate talks, with host Ian Sample talking to Fiona Harvey, our environment editor and resident Cop expert.
After a year of record temperatures, this year’s summit has been called the most vital yet. Fiona explains why this summit proved controversial before it even began, what the main talking points will be, and how countries can still collaborate to meet the goals set out in 2015’s Paris agreement.
ActionAid UK criticises UK's climate action progress, saying it is sending wrong message to other countries
Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, will be flying in to Dubai for the start of the Cop28 summit as he tries to burnish his credentials as an international statesman.
But over the past few months, the UK government has issued more than 100 new licences for oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea. The development charity ActionAid UK has criticised the UK’s progress on climate action, saying domestic policies are threatening progress on the global stage by sending the wrong message to countries elsewhere in the world.
In a statement send to the Guardian, Zahra Hdidou, senior climate and resilience adviser at ActionAid UK, said:
As Rishi Sunak lands in Dubai, we are deeply concerned by the message the UK government is sending to countries in the global south affected by its alarming inaction on climate change. Ahead of the Cop summit this week, the UK claims that it is more ambitious on climate than any other major economy, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
As it issues licences for over 100 new oil and gas fields and fails to provide a proper roadmap on how it will deliver £11.6bn in loss and damage finance to climate-stricken countries, the UK’s decisions today will continue to cause environmental catastrophe well into the future and cause immense harm to women and girls disproportionately affected by climate breakdown.
Attention should also be paid to the role that the UK’s finance sector, one of the world’s most important, plays in financing fossil fuel projects, Hiddou said:
The UK is also the heart of the global financial sector, which our recent research found has poured hundreds of billions of pounds into fossil fuels and agribusinesses since the Paris agreement. With UK banks like HSBC and Barclays among the largest funders of climate chaos, it also has a responsibility to regulate the sector, ensuring that money stops flowing towards climate-wrecking industries.
Instead of accelerating investments into fossil fuels and continuing its harmful, polluting legacy, it should show strong leadership in Dubai and commit to phasing out fossil fuels entirely.
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The UN Development Programme has published a video explainer on the issues at play at this year’s Cop climate summit. Take a look if you need a quick and easily absorbed rundown of what delegates will be discussing over the next fortnight.
2023 is set to be the hottest year on record and the impacts of #ClimateChange are being felt all around us globally.
— UN Development (@UNDP) November 30, 2023
As #COP28 starts today, @UNDPClimate's @cassie_flynn shares 3️⃣ things you need to know about the @UN's Climate Conference ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/T9IpRB1t9i
The United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s foremost fossil fuel producing nations, was always going to be an interesting choice for the Cop28 climate talks. Highlighting the apparent contradiction is a tweet from one attendee showing this incongruous sight from her hotel room window.
Got into Dubai late last night. Opened up my curtains in my hotel this morning to what I now know is the largest single site natural gas power generation facility in the world. Fitting. I am going to stare at this through the haze of pollution for two weeks. Welcome to #cop28. pic.twitter.com/pocJirYMvR
— Tzeporah Berman (@Tzeporah) November 29, 2023
People must balance outrage and optimism after a “hellish summer” of extreme weather, the UN’s former climate chief has urged at the start of the Cop28 climate summit, writes Ajit Narinjan, the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent.
“We have to keep the outrage really high because we are so darn late,” said Christiana Figueres, a veteran negotiator hailed as the architect of the Paris climate agreement.
She pointed to the weak policies that governments have set in order to cut planet-heating pollution and the $7tn with which they directly and indirectly subsidise fossil fuels.
But there were reasons for optimism that could stop people falling into “a dark rabbit hole”, she added. “I do make a conscious choice every morning to say: ‘Yes, I know what all the bad news is’ – that’s easy to get because that just screams at you from whatever news feed you have – but also, what is positive that is going out there? What are the disruptive pieces that are real, strong evidence of the fact that this is changing?”
Speaking to a small group of reporters on Monday, Figueres highlighted the plummeting cost of renewable energy and the growth of electric cars as two areas where positive changes were happening faster and faster.
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Dawn has broken over the Cop28 climate talks in Dubai. Here are the first few pictures appearing on the news wires of the scene there this morning as the conference gets under way.
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Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN climate convention, the international framework which governs Cop28, has given a call to arms to all nations as the summit begins:
This year’s climate conference comes as the crisis enters a new phase – and shows its full force, harming billions of people, and costing trillions. Now everyone is on the frontlines. No country is immune.
Yet most governments are still taking baby steps, when bold strides are urgently needed. So, the problem is clear: business-as-usual is breaking our planet. At the Cop28 climate conference, leaders must get to work fixing it.
It’s great that over 160 world leaders are coming, but Cop28 cannot be just a photo-op. Leaders must deliver in Dubai – the message is clear.
They must agree to triple renewable energy this decade, and double energy efficiency. And Cop28 must show a clear agreement to leave fossil fuel dependency behind. Only renewable energy offers safe, affordable, secure energy, as well as far more jobs, stronger economic growth, less pollution and better health for people in every country.
Developing nations – who did least to cause the crisis – have been starved of climate justice and resilience for too long. Last year’s Cop in Egypt delivered an historic loss & damage fund. This year’s cop in the UAE must put meat on the bone of this fund. That means putting real money on the table. Table scraps won’t cut it.
In a fractured world, climate action is a chance to unite around a common cause: survival, justice, prosperity. In short – Divisions will destroy us. But solutions can save us. It’s time for us all to get to work.
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Guterres calls for complete 'phase-out' of fossil fuels
António Guterres, the UN secretary general, has said this year’s Cop climate talks should aim for a complete “phase-out” of fossil fuels, insisting of the 1.5C climate goal: “It is not dead, it’s alive.”
Speaking to French state-backed news agency AFP before embarking on his flight to attend the conference in Dubai, Guterres said:
Obviously I am strongly in favour of language that includes (a) phaseout, even with a reasonable time framework.
We have the potential, the technologies and the capacity and the money - because the money is available, it’s a question of making sure it goes into the right direction- to do what is necessary, not only to keep the 1.5 degrees alive, but alive and well.
The only thing that is still lacking is political will.
Scientists are increasingly warning the goal of restricting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels looks ever more unlikely, an outcome that nations have agreed would be disastrous for human civilisation.
Since the goal was agreed at the Paris climate talks in 2015, nations’ actions have fallen far short. Some countries have called for the final statement of Cop28, which requires unanimous agreement, to explicitly call for a reduction in fossil fuel consumption – which would be a historic first.
But Guterres went further, telling AFP a simple promise to reduce fossil fuels would not be enough. “I think it would be a pity if we would stay in a vague and noncommittal ‘phase-down’ whose real meaning would not be obvious for anybody,” he said.
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So what is a conference of the parties? My colleague Fiona Harvey, Guardian environment editor and a veteran of multiple Cops, has written a handy explainer, setting out what it is all about. She writes:
For almost three decades, world governments have met nearly every year to forge a global response to the climate emergency. Under the 1992 UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), every country is treaty-bound to “avoid dangerous climate change” and find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally in an equitable way.
Cop stands for conference of the parties under the UNFCCC, and the annual meetings have swung between fractious and soporific, interspersed with moments of high drama and the occasional triumph (the Paris agreement in 2015) and disaster (Copenhagen in 2009). This year is the 28th iteration, and promises to be a difficult follow-up to last year, when developing countries celebrated victory on key issues of climate finance.
For more answers to your Cop28-related questions, including “Why do we need a Cop anyway?”, read more by clicking the link below.
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Good morning! This is Damien Gayle, on the very first day of the 28th conference of parties climate change summit, or Cop28.
The Guardian will be live-blogging the negotiations throughout, as always, and we look forward to your contributions: please email me on damien.gayle@theguardian.com with thoughts and suggestions. Alan Evans (alan.evans@theguardian.com) will be taking over the blog later on.
Today, the first day of the conference, will be focused around the opening ceremony. Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will not be attending but other world leaders will be arriving today, including Rishi Sunak.
Negotiators are hoping to make strong progress this Cop, and Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of the summit, has told my colleague Fiona Harvey that an “unprecedented outcome” that would keep alive hopes of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C is within reach.
But it is all still to play for. The US’s veteran climate negotiator, John Kerry, speaking to journalists in Dubai yesterday, said: “I feel confident that we will make progress [at Cop28]. The question is: how much progress?”
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