Day 3: a push for more renewable energy and nuclear power, and some movement away from fossil fuels
That’s all for today – tune back in tomorrow for a health-themed day. Here are the key takeaways from the third day of Cop28:
At least 117 governments have agreed to triple the world’s capacity of renewable energy by 2030 and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements.
The US was one of several countries to join an alliance to phase out power plants that burn coal and has announced rules to cut its methane emissions.
Fifty oil and gas companies have signed a “decarbonisation charter” that analysts have criticised for ignoring the emissions spewed when customers burn the fuels.
Twenty-two countries have pledged to triple nuclear capacity by 2050.
Colombia, a major fossil fuel producer, has formally joined an alliance of nations calling for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty to prevent the “omnicide of planet Earth”.
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Far from the suits and jargon of the climate summit – but still tightly linked – the fight for environmental justice continues in a very different form.
The authorities in Honduras have issued an arrest warrant for the alleged mastermind in the case of Berta Cáceres, the murdered Indigenous environmental leader, writes my colleague Nina Lakhani.
Cáceres was shot in her home by hired hitmen in March 2016 in retaliation for leading a grassroots campaign to stop construction of an internationally financed hydroelectric dam on a river considered sacred by the Lenca people. Cáceres was assassinated less than a year after being awarded the prestigious Goldman prize for environmental defenders.
Latin America is the most dangerous region in the world for those defending rivers, land and other natural resources against corporate greed, pollution, and extractive industries like mining and energy projects. Honduras, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia are among the most deadly countries in Latin America, and Indigenous people in particular are on the frontlines of fighting environmental destruction and the climate crisis.
Earlier this week, Quinto Inuma Alvarado, an environmental defender and Indigenous leader, was shot dead by hooded men in response to his work defending his land from illegal logging and drug trafficking in the San Martín region of Peru. He had spent years working to achieve collective titling for his community, which would allow them to effectively protect their land and forests of the Peruvian Amazon.
Indigenous environmental defenders like Caceres and Quinto risk their lives to protect the environment and address the climate crisis, yet they lack “adequate protection and are excluded from decision making”, according to a Global Witness report from 2022.
Indigenous delegates at Cop often struggle to get a seat at the negotiating table, and have long complained that their traditional knowledge and sustainable solutions are not taken seriously.
Read more on the Cáceres case here:
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The climate campaigner Mohamed Adow has called for a focus on the negotiations at Cop28 rather than the announcements that surround it.
We need to remember #COP28 is not a trade show & a press conference. It’s an international negotiation & that is still the most important part.
— Mohamed Adow (@mohadow) December 2, 2023
The flurry of announcements was largely to be welcomed, said Adow, who runs the climate thinktank Power Shift Africa, but that “the talks are why we are here.”
Journalists are not allowed in the negotiating rooms where diplomats hash out agreements under the eye of the UN. Much of the media coverage instead centres around commitments that governments and companies make outside of the formal negotiating process.
“Getting an agreed fossil fuel phase-out date remains the biggest step countries need to take here in Dubai over the remaining days of the summit,” said Adow. “We need a fair, fast, full and funded fossil phase-out.”
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US announces crackdown on 'super pollutant' methane
Carbon dioxide is the big climate villain but its lesser-known cousin methane is also a powerful planet-heating pollutant.
The US has announced a major crackdown on methane emissions as part of a new effort to curb a “super pollutant” that is turbocharging the climate crisis, my colleagues Oliver Milman, Damian Carrington and Fiona Harvey report from Dubai.
The new rules are the centrepiece of global announcements to cut methane emissions at Cop28. The US estimates they will cut methane emissions from its vast oil and gas industry by 80% from levels that would be expected without the rule – a total of 58m tonnes by 2038.
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Analysts have praised a “crucial” commitment from 118 governments to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by the end of the decade.
According to the clean energy thinktank Ember, the two actions alone can deliver 85% of the fossil fuel reductions needed by 2030 to keep the planet from heating 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures – if governments deliver on them.
Dave Jones, an analyst at Ember, said: “Together, these would unlock deep economy-wide fossil fuel reductions and ensure that oil, coal and gas demand not only peak this decade but see a meaningful fall. This statement is not a substitute for a global agreement, but it does pave the way for a historic opportunity to include this in the final text.”
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The chief executive of ExxonMobil has made some eyebrow-raising comments in an interview with the Financial Times, claiming the summit focuses too much on renewable energy. It is the first time an Exxon chief has attended a Cop.
Darren Woods has complained that talks at Cop28 have not prioritised hydrogen, biofuels and carbon capture. These are technologies favoured by the oil and gas industry as they allow for fossil fuels and their associated infrastructure to be used for longer during the green transition.
He told the newspaper: “The transition is not limited to just wind, solar and EVs. Carbon capture is going to play a role. We’re good at that. We know how to do it, we can contribute. Hydrogen will play a role. Biofuels will play a role.”
The oil and gas industry is hoping that governments will invest in carbon capture and storage to nullify emissions from fossil fuel plants. However, the technology’s effectiveness is disputed and scientists are sceptical of its role outside of heavy industries that have few alternatives.
Some have also criticised the presence of oil and gas industry executives at the conference, arguing the point of their attendance is to delay action and greenwash their operations.
Woods also told the FT that the talks “put way too much emphasis on getting rid of fossil fuels, oil and gas, and not . . . on dealing with the emissions associated with them”, adding there would be “continued demand” for oil and gas.
The Guardian this year revealed the oil company privately “predicted global warming correctly and skilfully” only to then spend decades publicly rubbishing such science in order to protect its core business.
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Tomorrow will be health day at Cop28, with various reports and declarations expected. Among them, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent’s main public health body, said more funding was needed to tackle health crises in Africa.
Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, said the continent has had 158 disease outbreaks already this year, following on closely from the Covid-19 pandemic, and that the climate crisis is a leading cause of them.
“Each outbreak we miss can become a pandemic – and that is the major concern we have today. We don’t want the next pandemic to come from Africa due to climate change. This is why we are pushing for more funding,” he said.
“When we had Covid, we discovered that Africa was abandoned. We saw we were not independent. Africa begged the world to get even masks and gloves.”
Isabel Choat has the full story:
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UK prime minister Rishi Sunak jetted home from Dubai last night after spending just eight hours in Dubai, but his energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, remains at the summit and today will announce plans to protect global rainforests and cut methane emissions.
She will tell the summit that the UK is to commit more than £85 million in funding for climate initiatives and will sign new clean energy agreements with international partners, including Brazil, the US and countries across Europe.
Part of the funding includes up to £35 million to protect the Amazon rainforest through Brazil’s dedicated Amazon fund, agreed on Friday, on top of £80m announced by Sunak earlier this year.
Coutinho said: “The UK is a world leader in the drive to net zero, so it is vital we support our international allies like Brazil in meeting their climate ambitions.
“That’s why we have pledged up to £35 million to help stop deforestation in the Amazon, making the UK one of the largest contributors to the Amazon fund.
“We will also partner with Brazil at Cop28 and draw on our combined strengths to develop alternative fuels like hydrogen, advance green technologies and drive global action to cut emissions.”
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The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has roared into Cop28 with a mega-delegation of more than 2,000 people and grand ambitions to address inequality and protect the world’s tropical forests.
Lula, as he is known, said his country was leading by example: “We have adjusted our climate goals, which are now more ambitious than those of many developed countries. We have drastically reduced deforestation in the Amazon and will bring it to zero by 2030,” he said.
But any pretensions he might have had to broader climate leadership on cutting fossil fuels were weakened on Thursday when his energy minister, Alexandre Silveira, chose the opening of the planet’s biggest environmental conference as the moment to announce that Brazil plans to align itself more closely with the world’s biggest oil cartel, Opec.
Brazilian climate campaigners said the timing and symbolism were horrendous and a sign of the divisions within a country that has made huge strides to reduce deforestation of the Amazon, even as it has ploughed ahead with oil exploration in ecologically sensitive areas.
“This statement is a scandal. Celebrating entry into the oil club in the middle of a climate conference is as if the minister of mines and energy were disavowing President Lula’s own environmental speech,” said Marcio Astrini, the executive secretary of the Brazilian Climate Observatory. “With ministers like this, the president doesn’t need enemies.”
Climate campaigners have praised the Czech Republic’s decision to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which leaves only a handful of European countries including Poland and Bulgaria outside the group.
Alexandru Mustață, campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, said: “The Czech Republic stood alongside Germany and Poland as one of the three big coal laggards in the EU. Today’s announcement shows that like most European nations, it is looking to a future beyond coal that is more secure, more economic, and above all: more sustainable.”
The country has committed to quit coal by 2033 but has been slower to invest in renewable energy than many of its neighbours. To keep the planet heating 1.5C, the International Energy Agency has called on rich countries to stop burning coal to make electricity by 2030, and for the rest of the world to follow suit by 2040.
UN's top doctor compares burning fossil fuels to smoking cigarettes
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, has compared fossil fuels to tobacco while speaking at an event in support of a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.
“During my visit to Tuvalu in 2019, I had the privilege of meeting a remarkable young boy named Falu,” he said. “He shared with me the conversations he had with his friends about the potential sinking of Tuvalu and the uncertain future. Some of his friends contemplated leaving in case it sinks. They were specific: seeking refuge in Fiji. While others express their willingness to stay, these are 10 or 11 year old children saying this.
“Falu’s words deeply affected me, serving as a poignant reminder of the challenges children face in the Pacific. They worry about the survival of their island home due to the emissions produced by distant nations. This reality hangs on their shoulders.
“Addressing climate change necessitates addressing the role of fossil fuels, much as we cannot address lung cancer without addressing the impact of tobacco.
“Without addressing 75% of emissions, achieving [the target of remaining with 1.5C (2.7F) of preindustrial levels] doesn’t happen. It will not happen. Debating the same issue – which is obvious – and fighting this issue over and over means we just stay in the same place. This has to stop. The science is there, the evidence is clear. We know the problem and we know the solution. The solution is also clear.
“In full support for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, the WHO stands with you. I will continue to champion you.
“The objectives outlined in the proposed treaty are clear, evidence based and equitable. We had a duty to address the homes of children like Falu. Please, let’s allow them to be children.”
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Kausea Natano, prime minister of Tuvalu, has been speaking at an event calling for the creation of a fossil fuels non-proliferation treaty. Tuvalu was among a group of Pacific island states who launched the initiative earlier this year. The treaty is akin to similar initiatives on reducing nuclear arsenals and landmines.
He told the event: “Every year, our countries travel for days to travel for Cop. We spent the majority of the year preparing for these negotiations.
“Climate change is the single greatest threat to humanity. Yet, every year, we find ourselves debating the same issues and fighting the same battles. The science is clear: In order to keep 1.5C alive, we must take urgent action to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The pacific sits in the front line of climate change with worsening climate damage.
“Today, on behalf of the people of Tuvalu, I come to deliver a simple message to save our people from the devastating impacts of climate change. This Cop28 must produce a decision that addresses the root cause of emission. It must include clear language of phasing out fossil fuels. We no longer have time to sit by while our islands sink, while our forests burn and while our people suffer.
“The Paris agreement establishes the regime of nationally determined contributions, allowing countries to chart their own path forward. We cannot lower emissions if keep growing the problem. At present, the phase out of fossil fuels is largely unmanaged. We must take steps to ensure a just and credible transition.
“Many think this is to be an impossible task. That it is either too ambitious or too late but let me remind you of the achievement we have already accomplished. The choice of either being ambitious or realistic is a false choice; we must choose to be both.”
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Hello, this is Ajit Niranjan taking over from Alan Evans for the day. You can reach me at ajit.niranjan@theguardian.com, or on X (formerly Twitter) at @NiranjanAjit. Whether you’re on the ground or following from afar, please get in touch!
Activists have called on rich countries to put 5% of their military budgets into climate finance, my colleague Dharna Noor writes.
By diverting just 5% of global military budgets, the world could raise $110.4bn for climate finance – more than enough to meet a repeatedly broken annual climate finance target of $100bn, according to the Transnational Institute, an international research and advocacy group.
“Money is being spent on militarisation rather than on climate action,” said Nick Buxton, a researcher with the Transnational Institute, “though the climate crisis is the biggest [common] security threat that we face today.”
The world’s militaries produce at least 5.5% of greenhouse gas emissions – more than the total footprint of Japan – according to one 2022 estimate. But no country is required to provide data on military emissions thanks to successful lobbying by the US at the Kyoto conference in 1997. Leaders removed the exemption in 2015 but made reporting military emissions optional.
Tomorrow there will be a special-themed day on “relief, recovery, and peace” at the conference, the first time climate-fuelled conflict has ever been on an international climate conference agenda.
Read more here:
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Turkmenistan joined the Global Methane Pledge today, an important move for the world’s fourth largest methane emitter. The pledge requires a leak reduction of 30% by 2030. The potent greenhouse gas is responsible for a third of the global heating driving the climate crisis today.
The Guardian revealed Turkmenistan’s “mind boggling” methane emissions in May, a development sources said was instrumental in pushing the country to act. The country’s super-emitting leaks are seen as some of the easiest to fix by repairing ageing gas infrastructure.
The world leaders’ speeches have finally concluded 45 minutes late after many speakers significantly overran their three-minute allowance, resulting in increasingly insistent beeping noises until they depart the stage. Nobody had to be hauled off stage by Sultan Al Jaber with a shepherd’s hook, but it may be a method worth considering for future Cop hosts.
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Another very strong candidate for Cop28’s best-dressed is an indigenous woman from South America. Sonia Astuhuaman Pardave is from the Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas.
She is a Yachak Warmi, an Andean Medicine woman who cares for and protects the Pachamama: Mother Earth.
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Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, prime minister of Fiji, has given a powerful speech talking about the large number of natural disasters that have befallen the island nation in the past few years.
“It is clear that we are at a breaking point not only for the Pacific, but for humanity … we need a just transition that ensures global emissions peak before 2025.”
He has welcomed the new loss and damage fund, but said it should be more focused on small island states in the Pacific.
He ended with a plea to his fellow delegates: “Please cooperate for our survival, for our identity.”
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Kamala Harris, vice-president of the US who is attending in place of Joe Biden, has told the conference that the country is investing heavily in adaptation, with a particular focus on marginalised communities.
Harris announced a significant $3bn pledge to the Green Climate Fund, but does not mention that this is subject to approval by Congress, which is divided.
“This is a pivotal moment. Our action, or worse, our inaction today … will impact the lives of billions of people for decades to come. So, for as much as we have accomplished … there is more work to do, and continued progress will not be without a fight,” Harris said.
“Around the world, there are those who seek to slow or stop our progress. Leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action, and spread misinformation. Large corporations that greenwash their climate inaction and lobby for billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies. It is clear: we must do more.”
The US, which is the world’s richest country and biggest polluter, has been widely criticised for the relative paltriness of its climate finance offerings so far.
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US powers past coal, Australia relies on ‘drug dealer’ defence
The US joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance today by committing to close all its coal-fired power plants, in a move hailed at Cop28 as “huge news” that puts pressure on the world’s biggest burner of coal, China.
Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel – about 40% of fossil fuel emissions – and its phase-out is essential to fighting the climate crisis. The US has the world’s third biggest fleet of coal-burning power stations. The deadline set by the US for ending coal appears to be 2035, five years after the 2030 date seen as compatible with keeping global heating below 1.5C.
At #COP28 , I joined President @EmmanuelMacron & other leaders to proudly announce the United States is joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance.
— Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry (@ClimateEnvoy) December 2, 2023
We will work with partners around the world to phase out unabated coal, an absolutely essential step for keeping 1.5 C within reach. pic.twitter.com/ZnIgLr7hvY
The Czech Republic and Kosovo, both heavily reliant on coal, also joined the PPCA today. The alliance now has more than 50 nations as members, including 35 out of the 43 countries in the OECD, a club of rich countries.
Leo Roberts, at the E3G thinktank, said: “The US is a huge coal consumer. So this is hugely symbolic, not just in terms of emissions, but also in terms of the US stepping up on the international stage.”
“This puts a huge amount of pressure on the other OECD countries to make Paris-aligned coal exit commitments, particularly Japan, Australia and South Korea,” he said: “This is also putting direct pressure on China, which has over half of the world’s coal and nearly 75% of the world’s new coal project pipeline. I think that’s an intentional tactic by the countries who have stood up.”
Bill Hare, at Climate Analytics, said: “Australia still is a very coal-intensive country and still is approving new mines to export coal. It is essentially using the drug-dealer defence, saying that other countries are demanding the coal.”
“Expanding coal production runs completely counter to what the global scientific community and the International Energy Agency is saying,” he said. “So I’m still very concerned about the Australian position.”
Evan Gach, from the Kiko Network, an NGO in Japan, said: “It’s disappointing to not see Japan on the PPCA list, but maybe not a surprise. Japan has over 170 existing coal units, and there’s no plan or roadmap to phase these out. Japan is committed to extending the life of fossil fuels for as long as they can profit from it.”
Solar and wind energy is the cheapest electricity in the world today, and often even cheaper than simply continuing to buy the fuel for coal-fired power stations. Vivian Sunwoo Lee, from the Solutions for our Climate group in Korea, said: “If Korea doesn’t want to fall behind the major economies, it will also need to phase out coal.”
A new diplomatic initiative, led by France and called the Coal Transition Accelerator, was also announced today. It will focus on ending private finance for coal, supporting communities that have previously relied upon the fuel and accelerating the development of clean energy in those regions.
Roberts said: “Most coal projects are in the global south and none of them make any sense on economic grounds. They’re also a terrible idea for development and for the climate. So ending private finance for those will be extremely important.”
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Colombia joins fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty
A significant development today as Colombia has announced it is to join the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.
It is the 10th country to join the group, but only the second member that is a fossil fuel producer, following Timor-Leste, which joined earlier this year. Colombia has significant reserves of coal, gas and oil.
“While it is the use of fossil fuels that causes emissions, there is no direct mention of fossil fuels in the Paris agreement or subsequent agreements. What is frightening is that governments plan to increase the frontier of fossil fuel exploitation. Colombia believes we need a plan to phase out fossil fuels,” said Susana Muhamad, the country’s environment minister.
My colleague Patrick Greenfield has the full story here:
Another well-dressed delegate spotted in Dubai. Rihab Khalid is a climate social scientist and current research fellow at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, and a Cop first-timer.
She is an interdisciplinary energy researcher who studies the intersections of gender equity, energy access and spatial justice.
“I’m here because I’m passionate about gender equity, and I believe we can only achieve this if we align gender-responsive climate action with women’s sustainable development across all sectors,” she told the Guardian.
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One of the strangest tie-ins to the climate conference must be the Cop28 Adventures game, which was released by Dubai police before the event began.
Its summary on Google’s Play Store reads:
Immerse yourself in the urgent world of global climate action in Climate Guardians COP28. As a delegate at the UAE conference, craft policies, solve environmental challenges, and collaborate with players worldwide. Explore stunning UAE locations, make impactful decisions, and compete for the highest cooperation score. Join the movement for a sustainable future today
The Guardian will not be downloading the app, and recommends that you do not either. Matthew Hedges, a British academic who was detained in the UAE in 2018, warned on Thursday, “Don’t be naive like I was” when it comes to digital security and the UAE.
For this reason we cannot provide a review of the game, but here are some screenshots provided on the app page:
The game is credited to Dubai police, whose previous Play Store game offerings include:
My Rights and Duties (“learn about your rights in a fun and simple way”)
My Child My Friend (“aims to enhance communication and friendship between parents and their offspring”)
Stay Safe (“educating the public in all its categories of positive behaviours that must be adhered to and some negative behaviours that must be avoided”)
The new Cop28 game lets users “explore stunning UAE locations, make impactful decisions, and compete for the highest cooperation score.”
It also appears to have drone racing. It is not for the Guardian to speculate whether the whole Cop process could be made more productive with the addition of drone racing, but it does not appear to have been explored by the organisers and may be worth a shot.
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Pope: are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death?
Pope Francis had been lined up to open today’s speeches, but was forced to stay home with a bout of “very acute infectious bronchitis”.
He sent the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in his place with a missive, which Parolin read out.
“I am with you because now more than ever, the future of us all depends on the present that we now choose,” he said.
“I am with you because the destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural, one that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.
“I am with you because climate change is a global social issue and one intimately related to the dignity of human life. I am with you to raise the question which we must answer now: Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death?
“To all of you I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life. Let us choose the future. May we be attentive to the cry of the earth, may we hear the plea of the poor, may we be sensitive to the hopes of the young and the dreams of children. We have a grave responsibility: to ensure that they not be denied their future.”
The Vatican has published a full transcript of the speech which can be found here.
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Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s rightwing prime minister, speaks of the need for what she describes as “a technology-neutral approach, free from radicalism”.
Meloni has long dismissed the need for urgent action on climate change and has cracked down hard on protests by environmental and other activists, which this statement seems to be a reference to.
Italy has, however, pledged €100m to the new loss and damage fund, one of the largest offerings yet. Meloni also pledged to invest money in Africa, but “not as charity”, saying it would be in partnerships “among equals”.
“We’re all aware that many of the efforts we make today will likely have visible results long after we have left positions of power … we are doing it anyway, not for us but those who come after us,” she says.
Meloni wraps up by quoting Warren Buffett: “There is someone sitting in the shade today because someone else planted a tree long ago.”
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Biggest Cop ever
For the first time at a Cop the UNFCCC, which organises the summits, has published the full list of participants in spreadsheet format, making them far easier to analyse.
Carbon Brief have looked at the provisional figures, and found that 84,101 people are registered to attend, 3,074 of whom are attending virtually.
The figures are provisional as more people will have registered than actually attend, but it is close to certain that this will be the biggest Cop ever in terms of number of participants. The final number or attendees will be released after the conference.
For comparison, Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh last year hosted just under 50,000 delegates, while Cop1 in Berlin in 1995 only hosted 3,969.
John Kerry was up early to help open the US pavilion at Cop28 this morning. The US’s climate envoy led a small group of Biden administration officials in an upbeat assessment of the White House’s efforts in tackling climate change.
“I feel optimistic, I really do,” Kerry said. “I am in Dubai with a sense that something different is really happening.” Kerry pointed to the rapid progress at this Cop of the loss and damage fund, and said that the US had taken the lead in spurring the world to increase ambition on emissions cuts, crack down on deforestation and curb methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
A similar message is expected from Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, when she speaks here later on Saturday. Announcements from the US on coal and methane are also expected.
Activists who gathered outside the US pavillion were a bit more sceptical, however. Overt protests aren’t really allowed here but a group of climate campaigners led a chant about phasing out fossil fuels and posed for pictures with slogan stickers stuck to them.
The US is expected to break production records for oil and gas this year and is building out a vast network of infrastructure for new gas exports, something that Kerry and his colleagues did not address.
“You can’t talk about reductions when you are talking about more exploration and leasing and drilling,” said John Beard, who was there for Kerry’s speech.
Beard, a former Exxon engineer who now campaigns against the industry’s impacts on communities along the Gulf of Mexico coast, added: “You can’t talk about decarbonising when you’re recarbonising, it doesn’t make sense. Talk is cheap and sending your big dog officials here isn’t going to do it, it’s action that will do it.”
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Harjeet Singh, unofficial winner of best dressed at Cop27, never lowers his standards. As well as being a fashion icon and lovely human being, Harjeet is a climate justice warrior and sharp policy analyst.
He is the head of global political strategy for the Climate Action Network and global engagement director of the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty initiative, which is gearing up for a major announcement at 1.30pm GST (9.30am GMT) today
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The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is speaking. He says the evidence of the climate crisis has never been clearer, and that the benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon economy had never been clearer.
He speaks of the fires and floods that have devastated Greece in recent years, and says the country has cut coal use by 80% while growing the economy faster than other countries in the eurozone.
He says the decarbonisation of shipping – in which Greece is a world power – must be done on an even playing field. Shipping is one of the world’s most polluting industries, and has been notoriously resistant to change.
He refers to “protecting ancient monuments from the wrath of climate change” and to “learning from our ancestors”, but does not explicitly mention this week’s row over whether the UK should return the Parthenon marbles to Greece.
Some believed the tie featuring Greek flags worn by King Charles III for his speech on Friday was a subtle signal of support for returning the marbles.
My colleagues Caroline Davies and Helena Smith covered that story here:
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Our correspondents in Dubai are always on the lookout for the best-dressed delegates to highlight in the blog.
Fanny Chen is from Brazil, and is at Cop28 promoting vegan eating.
“Livestock is the root cause of both Nature’s collapse and the climate crisis,” according to the leaflet she is handing out.
Mia Mottley: "Turn down the methane"
Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados and a major figure in climate diplomacy, is speaking at the leaders’ statements section of the conference.
She thanks people for their work so far, but says that the creation of a loss and damage fund is only part of the equation. For every dollar spent on preventing climate-induced disasters, seven dollars is saved, she says.
She says non-state actors – ie. fossil fuel companies – need to come to the table with money.
“The reality is that unless we change course … we are going to see far more lives lost and far more damage done,” she says.
She singles out action on methane as essential, as it is so much more damaging in the short term than carbon dioxide, and says the world needs strong regulation of oil and gas companies to swiftly reduce methane releases.
“To turn down the heat, you simply have to turn down the methane,” she says.
It is interesting that Mottley spent the majority of her speech, which ran significantly over her allotted three minutes, focusing on methane rather than climate finance, the subject with which she is most associated. More announcements on methane are expected later on Saturday.
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There are huge queues to get into Cop28 this morning at what will surely be the largest climate summit by some distance. More than 80,000 people have registered for badges to the event, and many are struggling to get into the venue in Dubai.
Delegates could be heard pleading to get through security this morning, warning that they were missing events and meetings in the Blue Zone where negotiations are held, with waits expected to last up to two hours at the entrance nearest the metro station.
Very long queues at the sprawling Expo 2020 #COP28 entrance. Folks are struggling to get through the line. I think it’s time to redesign this COP process. pic.twitter.com/a1tImHs4RF
— Mohamed Adow (@mohadow) December 2, 2023
DAY 3 - High-Level segment means more security & fresh new challenges in reaching Blue Zone #COP28UAE
— GLOBE Legislators (@GLOBE_intl) December 2, 2023
Delegates & Morning schedules at mercy of #COP28 queues Gods!
Please bear with us as we manage delays @ #ParliamentPavilion 🙏🏼☺️ pic.twitter.com/8aUryEhU1C
103,000 people registered. This is the queue for the Blue Zone (negotiations, pavilions, side events).
— Jen Allan (@JenIrisAllan) December 2, 2023
How many need to be here? How we define *need* in the context of governance and the climate crisis? #COP28 pic.twitter.com/qmawmONG9j
For those reading this post still in the queue, the good news is that there is another way into Blue Zone. Delegates need to enter via the Green Zone entrance - where there are no queues - and then get into the Blue Zone that way.
Want to end the proliferation of how much time you spend in queues at #COP28 this morning?
— Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative (@fossiltreaty) December 2, 2023
Enter via Green zone entrance to south. pic.twitter.com/YpPc5puuuj
22 countries call for tripling of nuclear by 2050
Twenty-two countries have called for a tripling of nuclear energy by 2050 in order to meet net zero goals.
John Kerry, the US’s climate envoy, defended the statement. “We are not making the argument to anybody that this is absolutely going to be a sweeping alternative to every other energy source,” he said.
“But we know because the science and the reality of facts and evidence tell us that you can’t get to net zero 2050 without some nuclear. These are just scientific realities. No politics involved in this, no ideology involved in this.”
Bill McKibben’s campaign group 350.org were less enthusiastic. Masayoshi Iyoda, a Japan campaigner at the group, said: “There is no space for dangerous nuclear power to accelerate the decarbonization needed to achieve the Paris climate goal … it is nothing more than a dangerous distraction.
“The attempt of a ‘nuclear renaissance’ led by nuclear industries’ lobbyists since the 2000s has never been successful - it is simply too costly, too risky, too undemocratic, and too time-consuming. We already have cheaper, safer, democratic, and faster solutions to the climate crisis, and they are renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
The signatories to the declaration were: Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Updated
Politico has reported on the shadow cast over Cop28 by the war in Gaza. Several leaders used their speeches to draw attention to the conflict, and behind the scenes officials are having meetings with their counterparts about Gaza.
Here’s a sample of Politico’s report:
Israeli president Isaac Herzog spent much of the morning in meetings telling fellow leaders about “how Hamas blatantly violates the ceasefire agreements,” according to a post on his X account. He ended up skipping a speech he was meant to give during Friday’s parade of world leaders.
There were other conspicuous no-shows. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was absent, despite being listed as an early speaker. And Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority leader, also disappeared from the final speakers’ list after initially being scheduled to talk just a few slots after Herzog.
Then, shortly after leaders posed for a group photo in the Dubai venue on Friday, the Iranian delegation announced it was walking out. The reason, Iran’s energy minister told his country’s official news agency: The “political, biased and irrelevant presence of the fake Zionist regime” — referring to Israel.
Read the full piece here.
Welcome to day three of Cop28
Good morning! This is Alan Evans, bringing you coverage from the third day of the UN’s Cop28 climate summit.
The Guardian will be liveblogging the negotiations throughout. You can email me on alan.evans@theguardian.com or on X/Twitter at @itsalanevans, and my colleague Ajit Niranjan (ajit.niranjan@theguardian.com) will take over later on.
Today will see more world leaders take to the stage to give speeches. The hosts will hope some of them will use them to make pledges to the newly-agreed loss and damage fund, the creation of which has been the main talking point of the conference so far.
And here’s a summary of the main events yesterday:
World leaders, particularly those from developing countries at the forefront of the climate crises, begged large economies and emitters to take urgent action both to reduce emissions and fund loss and damage
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak declared to the conference that he had watered down climate policy in the UK, drawing anger from politicians and climate experts who said he had “misread the room”
UK opposition leader Keir Starmer accused Sunak of “shrinking and retreating” from showcasing leadership on the global stage at Cop28 and over the climate crisis
A new UN report found that droughts are a planetary emergency causing widespread famine, and that they are a silent, often ignored, killer
Brazil’s president, Lula, outlined that it is not possible to tackle the climate crisis without also tackling inequality. He spoke of climate suffering in the Amazon, which is experiencing one of the “most tragic droughts in its history” while cyclones in the south of Brazil have left a trail “of destruction and death”.
The UK’s King Charles III opened the conference, and warned in his speech that “unless we rapidly repair and restore nature’s economy, based on harmony and balance, which is our ultimate sustainer, our own economy and survivability will be imperilled.”
You can also read our daily news wrap from yesterday here:
