The United Nations Climate Change conference, COP28, has concluded with a historic agreement to transition away from fossil fuels and to try to rein in accelerating climate change.
Key messages
The United Nations Climate Change conference, COP28, has concluded with a historic agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy and increase climate finance for the most vulnerable. It aims to keep alive the goal of the Paris Agreement to try to limit long-term global average near-surface temperature to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era.
The agreement – whilst less ambitious than many had hoped – calls for more decisive climate action in the face of rapidly accelerating climate change and more dangerous extreme weather that is leading to massive environmental, economic and societal upheaval.
“Together, we have confronted realities and we have set the world in the right direction. We have given it a robust action plan to keep 1.5°C within reach. It is a plan that is led by the science,” announced COP28 President Dr Sultan Al-Jaber at the end of the two-week conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“It is a balanced plan that tackles emissions, bridges the gap on adaptation, reimagines global finance, and delivers on loss and damage. It is an enhanced, balanced, but… make no mistake… historic package to accelerate climate action. It is…the UAE Consensus,” declared the COP28 President.
World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas welcomed the fact that the COP28 declaration recognizes the science, and the urgency of tackling the climate crisis. It reflects substantial input provided by WMO on monitoring the climate and climate-related extremes, climate mitigation and adaptation, including the priority of protecting everyone on Earth through universal coverage of early warning systems against extreme weather and climate change by 2027.
“The agreement at COP28 in Dubai is historic in that – for the first time – it recognizes the need to transition away from fossil fuels for the first time. This is an important step in the right direction but not the final goal. We urgently need to reduce our production and consumption of fossil fuels and speed up the transition to renewables. Time is running out,” said Prof. Taalas.
The Outcome of the first global stocktake, Revised advance version (FCCC/PA/CMA/2023/L.17) is available at: https://www.icsf.net/resources/outcome-of-the-first-global-stocktake-revised-advance-version-fccc-pa-cma-2023-l-17/