Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Reuters
The UN climate summit clinched an early victory Thursday, with delegates adopting a new fund to help poor nations cope with costly climate disasters.
COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber said the decision sent a “positive signal of momentum to the world and to our work here in Dubai”.
Attendees arrive for the opening of UN’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 30th November, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Amr Alfiky
FOCUS ON CHILDREN’S FUTURE, AILING POPE TELLS COP28 DELEGATES
Pope Francis, forced to miss COP28 due to bronchitis, on Thursday urged delegates at the climate summit to “focus on the common good and the future of their children, rather than the vested interests of certain countries or businesses”.
Francis, who turns 87 in December, said he was suffering from an acute form of bronchitis that had prevented him from making the trip to the summit in Dubai this weekend, on the orders of his doctor.
The Pope has had a number of health problems in recent years that involved hospital stays, most recently in June. Despite his latest ailment, he is still working and meeting people.
“As you can see, I am still alive,” he said in off-the-cuff remarks during an audience with people who were in Rome to attend a seminar on health and ethics.
“The doctor didn’t let me go to Dubai. The reason is that it is very hot there, and you go from heat to air conditioning, and (it’s not convenient) in this bronchial situation. Thank God it wasn’t pneumonia. It is a very acute, infectious bronchitis,” he said, according to a Vatican transcript.
Francis said he had no fever but was on antibiotics, confirming what the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday.
During another audience on Thursday with theologians, the pope said: “Pray for me. Pray for me, not against, because this job is not easy. Thank you.”
The COP28 climate summit got underway on Thursday. Francis had been due to fly in on Friday to make a speech and hold bilateral meetings before leaving on Sunday.
The Pope, who has made protection of the environment one of the hallmarks of his papacy, was hoping to use the occasion to renew his calls for action against global warming.
Writing on social media platform X on Thursday, the Pope urged COP28 delegates to focus on the common good, adding: “May they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame.”
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the second-in-command at the Vatican, told reporters on Wednesday he expected to lead the Holy See’s delegation at the climate talks.
– ALVISE ARMELLINI, Vatican City/Reuters
In establishing the fund on the first day of the two-week COP28 conference, delegates opened the door for governments to announce contributions.
And several did, kicking off a series of small pledges that countries hoped would build throughout the conference to a substantial sum, including $US100 million from the COP28 host United Arab Emirates, at least $US51 million from Britain, $US17.5 million from the United States, and $US10 million from Japan.
Later, the European Union pledged $US245.39 million, which included $US100 million pledged by Germany.
The early breakthrough on the damage fund, which poorer nations had demanded for years, could help grease the wheels for other compromises to be made during the two-week summit.
Alden Meyer of the thinktank E3G said the approval for the “loss and damage” fund, as it’s been called informally over the last two years, meant “not having either side play games and using L&D as a bargaining chip tied to other issues.”
Another task for the summit will be the global stocktake, an assessment of countries’ progress in meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius.
The fund’s adoption “allows us now to focus on the global stocktake and the phase out of fossil fuels and build-up of renewable energy,” said Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s special climate envoy.
But some groups were cautious about celebrating the fund’s early adoption, noting there were still unresolved issues including how the fund would be financed in the future.
“The absence of a defined replenishment cycle raises serious questions about the fund’s long-term sustainability,” said Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International.
Adnan Amin, CEO of the COP28 summit, told Reuters this month the aim was to secure several hundred million US dollars for the climate disaster fund during the event.
Pope Francis, who was forced to cancel his trip to COP28 due to illness, sent a message on social media platform X: “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. May they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame.”
A role for fossil fuels
Earlier on Thursday, Jaber opened the summit by urging countries and fossil fuel companies to work together to meet global climate goals.
Governments are preparing for marathon negotiations on whether to agree, for the first time, to phase out the world’s use of CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas, the main source of warming emissions.
A man in traditional Emirati clothes attends the first day of UN’s COP28 climate summit, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 30th November, 2023.PICTURE: Reuters/Amr Alfiky
Jaber, who is also the CEO of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company ADNOC, aimed to strike a conciliatory tone following months of criticism over his appointment at the head of COP28.
He acknowledged that there were “strong views” about the idea of including language on fossil fuels and renewables in the negotiated text.
“It is essential that no issue is left off the table. And yes, as I have been saying, we must look for ways and ensure the inclusion of the role of fossil fuels,” he said.
He touted his country’s decision to “proactively engage” with fossil fuel companies and 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 much more.”
– Additional reporting by WILLIAM JAMES and ALVISE ARMELLINI
