Why Is The COP28 Conference Important?
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change at COP21 in 2015, subsequent conferences have revolved around implementing its key goal: halt global average temperature rise to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit the rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
If Paris gave us the agreement, Katowice (COP24) and Glasgow (COP26) showed us the plan. Sharm el-Sheikh (COP27) then shifted us to implementation.
Now, COP28 is expected to be a turning point, where countries not only agree ‘WHAT’ stronger climate actions will be taken, but show ‘HOW’ to deliver them.
Measuring the progress towards achieving the Paris goals on mitigation, adaptation and climate finance and adapting existing plans is a key part of the puzzle, and this is why COP28 assumes more significance.
The first global stocktake, which began at COP26 in Glasgow, will conclude in Dubai.
The process is designed to help identify what more still needs to be done and guide countries towards more ambitious and accelerated climate action plans.
So, the decision adopted by the parties at COP28 could emerge as the most consequential outcome following the 2015 Paris conference.
What is at stake?
Quite literally, the health of our planet and humanity’s well-being.
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“Antarctica has been called the sleeping giant, but it is now being awoken by climate chaos,” UN Secretary General António Guterres warned during his visit there ahead of COP28.
Antarctic sea ice is at an all-time low. New figures show that this September, it was 1.5 million square kilometers smaller than the average for the time of year – “an area roughly the size of Portugal, Spain, France and Germany combined”.
“All of this spells catastrophe around the world,” he said. “What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica. And what happens thousands of miles away has a direct impact right here.”
Over a century of fossil fuels burning and unsustainable energy and land use has already led to a global warming of 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. Every increment of warming is likely to exacerbate the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, flooding, storms and irreversible climate changes.
2023 is on track to be the hottest year, while the past eight years were the eight warmest on record globally, fuelled by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat.
Mr. Guterres has sounded the alarm on several occasions with the warning that if nothing changes, we are heading towards a 3°C temperature rise – towards a dangerous and unstable world.
“Humanity has opened the gates of hell. Horrendous heat is having horrendous effect,” he said.
Almost half of the world’s population lives in regions highly vulnerable to climate change.
The least developed, landlocked and small island countries may have contributed little to this crisis, but they are the ones on the frontlines, having to deal with its deadly consequences.
What do we mean by stronger climate action?
The UN Secretary-General has repeatedly sent stark reminders that the current urgency for climate action is dwarfed by the scale of the crisis, but the “future is not fixed”.
The science is clear: it is still possible to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C and avoid the worst of climate change, “but only with dramatic, immediate climate action”, which includes:
- A 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels
- Achieving global net zero emissions by 2050
- A “just and equitable transition” from fossil fuels (oil and gas) to renewable energy sources
- Increased investments in adaptation and resilience to the climate disruption
But, there is more – such as fulfilling the financial commitments in support of developing countries, securing $100 billion in climate finance annually and operationalizing the loss and damage fund, which was agreed upon last year at COP27, delivering climate justice.
However, the UNFCCC’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs) synthesis report released in November shows that the world is failing to get a grip on the climate crisis.
“Global ambition stagnated over the past year and national climate plans are strikingly misaligned with the science,” the UN chief said.
What is the United Arab Emirates’ role, as host country of COP28?
The UN climate conferences are hosted by a different country each year. This year, the United Arab Emirates is hosting the COP28 summit between 30 November and 12 December.
The host also appoints a president who leads the climate negotiations and provide leadership and overall vision.
Dr. Sultan al-Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology for the UAE, will preside over the negotiations at COP28.
The incoming presidency has stated its main focus on changes in four key areas:
- Fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030
- Transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises and setting framework for a new deal
- Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action
Mobilizing for the most inclusive COP ever
How COP28 will contribute to the global fight against climate change?
Almost eight years after the Paris Agreement and half-way through the 2030 Agenda, COP28 is a timely opportunity to embark upon a new path towards effective climate action.
As several UN reports show, the world is not on track to meeting the Paris Agreement’s goals, but the hope is that governments at COP28 will lay out a roadmap to accelerate climate action.
In 2020, individual countries came up with national climate action plans aimed at reducing national emissions and adapting to climate change impacts.
With the next round of these plans scheduled for 2025, the outcome of the global stocktake process could encourage countries to raise ambition and set new targets, exceeding existing policies and commitments.
With so much at stake, the Dubai conference is a decisive moment to turn climate plans into ambitious action and turn the tide against the climate crisis.
COP28: Number Of Children Facing Hunger Due To Weather Extremes More Than Doubles In 2022
More than 27 million children were driven into hunger and malnutrition by extreme weather events in countries heavily impacted by the climate crisis in 2022, which was a 135% jump from the previous year, according to a new data analysis by Save the Children ahead of COP28.
Save the Children found that children made up nearly half of the 57 million people pushed into crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse across 12 countries because of extreme weather events in 2022. This was based on data from the Integrated Food Security Classification or IPC scale, a monitoring system for assessing hunger emergencies in 58 countries.
The IPC has estimated that the number of people facing hunger in countries where extreme weather events were the main driver of food crises has nearly doubled in five years - soaring to 57 million in 2022 from about 29 million people in 2018.
The majority of countries where weather extremes were the main driver of hunger last year were concentrated in the Horn of Africa, with Ethiopia and Somalia accounting for about half of the 27 million children.
The 12 countries where weather extremes were the primary driver of hunger in 2022, according to the IPC, were Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Pakistan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Somalia has been repeatedly at the frontlines of the climate crisis, suffering five failed consecutive rainy seasons. Now, the country stands once again at the precipice, with extreme weather events such as mass flooding set to exacerbate hunger this year.
Heavy rains and floods in recent weeks have displaced about 650,000 people - about half are children - cutting families off from accessing food and medical care. The current flooding could be just as devastating for the country as the years of drought that left millions of children hungry and malnourished.
Sadia-, 38, and her eight children, have weathered the storm of climate-induced displacement in Somalia twice over - initially due to drought and now again due to severe flooding.
"We left due to droughts, and now we face displacement again because of floods. [Before the drought] life was good. We were farmers and took care of animals. We had enough food from our crops and milk from our animals to live comfortably. But the droughts came and destroyed everything we had," said Sadia who eventually started a small business in the displacement camp selling fruits and other items to support her children.
"But recently, heavy rains and floods have made everything worse. The markets are flooded, and my stall is underwater. I can't earn any money, and it's tough to feed my children."
Pakistan was one of the countries where extreme weather events were the primary driver of hunger last year after devastating flooding submerged one third of the country, affecting 33 million people, half of whom were children. One year on, more than 2 million flood-affected children are acutely malnourished, with almost 600,000 children suffering from the deadliest form of malnutrition.
Dr Muhammad Hanif, who works at a healthcare unit run by Save the Children in Sindh Province-a region severely affected by the floods-explained that he had never seen anything like it in his lifetime.
" I am a doctor, so my weapon is medicine. It’s what we rely on to treat and save lives. But during the floods, I felt like a solider in the battlefield without a weapon; nothing to save the life of children or pregnant mothers," he explained. "By the end of last year, I treated about 1,000 children for hunger-related illnesses, and about 30,000 other patients for various diseases that were inflamed by climate change."
Annually, conflicts and economic shocks push even more children into hunger than weather extremes. Conflict was the primary driver of hunger for 117 million people in 19 countries last year. IPC data also revealed an eight-fold increase in the number of people facing hunger because of economic shocks in five years, jumping to about 84 million people in 2022 from 10 million in 2018.
Globally, an estimated 774 million children - or one third of the world’s child population - are living with the dual impacts of poverty and high climate risk, according to Save the Children’s report Born into the Climate Crisis.
Inger Ashing, Save the Children’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
"In a world where wildfires, floods, droughts and hurricanes are becoming the frightening new normal, children today not only face a climate emergency but a landscape of heightened inequalities, where hunger is an unwelcome guest at an already crowded table.
"As climate-related weather events become more frequent and severe, we will see more drastic consequences on children’s lives. In 2022, 135% more children were pushed into hunger due to extreme weather events than the year before.
"In my recent trip to Pakistan, I met a young boy named Jaffar who shared that his home and school were destroyed in the 2022 floods. His family had to sell their livestock and were struggling to cope with the limited resources in their community. While he was able to attend our temporary learning centre there were no plans to rebuild his school. These are all losses and damages that violate children’s rights.
"Prioritising investment in children’s health, nutrition, education, protection and safety nets must be at the forefront of global efforts. To truly protect children now and in the future, robust support for the new Loss and Damage Fund is non-negotiable. At COP28, World Leaders must listen to the demands of children and invite them to be part of proposing solutions. Without tackling the climate crisis, the global hunger crisis will only deteriorate further, pushing millions more to the brink."
Last year, Save the Children found that 83% of children in 15 countries reported witnessing climate change or inequality, or both, affecting the world around them. Yet, children's rights are neglected in climate finance. Currently 2.4% of climate finance from four key global climate funds can be classified as sufficiently considering children, although some funders like the Green Climate Fund are actively working to bridge these gaps.
Save the Children is calling on world leaders at COP28, particularly those from high-income countries and historical emitters, to take action on the climate crisis by recognising children as key agents of change. Climate finance must be increased, providing funding for losses and damages and climate adaptation. Governments must work to urgently limit warming temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
The child rights organisation is also calling on leaders to address the root causes of acute food and nutrition insecurity such as conflict, inequality, and a lack of resilient health, nutrition and social protection systems.
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