The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Simon Steele, stated today, Friday, that he is dissatisfied with the results of a ten-day conference aimed at preparing for the United Nations Climate Change Conference "COP28" scheduled to be held this year in Dubai. He added that the process is moving far too slowly given the urgency of the climate crisis.
Regarding the potential inclusion of phasing out fossil fuels or reducing their use on the agenda for COP28, Steele indicated that the UAE presidency is still formulating its vision. He expects to learn more on this matter in the coming weeks. In an interview with Reuters, he stated, "Science tells us that to achieve the net-zero emissions goal, we must phase out and reduce all types of fossil fuels. We will see the signals that will be presented. But the science is very clear."
Steele mentioned that providing a quantitative assessment of the conference results is difficult, but his team is analyzing the meeting's decisions and he anticipates a final assessment of what has been achieved in the coming days. He revealed that despite extensive discussions over the past two weeks in Bonn, uncertainties remain regarding how countries will finance climate action policies. He added that this topic will dominate discussions in Dubai later this year.
He explained that "for the many policies we see in the negotiation rooms, if the means of implementation are available, many of the tensions we currently see will diminish."
He also noted that no decision has been made on whether the global assessment should emphasize the historical responsibility of wealthy countries for emissions or adopt a more forward-looking language. The global assessment is a key outcome of the 2015 Paris Agreement, where governments review progress in climate action at COP28.
Climate negotiators from around the world have made little progress in the preparatory talks for COP28, which is looked upon with hopes that it will lead governments to adopt ambitious steps to prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres indicated yesterday that countries must begin phasing out oil, coal, and gas—not just emissions—and called on fossil fuel companies to "cease and desist" actions that hinder progress in this endeavor.
There is agreement between some Western governments and island nations affected by climate change, but the oil-producing UAE, which is hosting COP28, insists that discussions should focus on phasing out emissions. Nevertheless, the President of the UAE stated last week that phasing out the fuels themselves is inevitable.
The UN's climate organization announced that the Bonn talks concluded yesterday with progress on issues related to financing actions aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change, liability for losses and damages, and funding for adaptation measures. However, it did not specify what was decided.
The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement aimed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, a limit we are already close to exceeding. However, activists have accused the United States, the UK, and the European Union of attempting to steer discussions away from addressing their legal responsibilities for climate change.
They stated that wealthy industrialized countries are pushing developing nations to commit to measures such as expanding renewable energy sources without considering their inability to pay for them.
