The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which kicks off on 30 November in Dubai and runs until 12 December, will be marked by the presentation of the first Global Stocktake since the Paris Agreement.
It will focus in particular on the energy transition, climate financing and cooperation between countries in the North and South, adaptation and resilience to climate change, by strengthening national funds, but also the implementation of adaptation measures on a global scale for developing countries.
However, this major meeting was marked in advance by the controversy surrounding the presidency of Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of the ADNOC oil company. Concerns about possible conflicts of interest and the risk of greenwashing have been raised, notably by more than 130 MEPs and US elected representatives (see EUROPE 13187/9). In response, the European Commission stated its willingness to work “constructively” with the COP28 Presidency (see EUROPE 13188/10).
Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. One of the highlights of COP28 will be the presentation of the first Global Stocktake since the Paris Agreement. The aim of this stocktake is to evaluate the progress made and to encourage countries to increase their climate ambitions.
So far, the current commitments of the Parties to the Paris Agreement only allow for a marginal reduction in emissions, far from the targets needed to limit warming to 1.5°C.
In this context, the European Union, whose ministers adopted a position last October (see EUROPE 13273/5), has reaffirmed its commitment by endorsing a position aimed at a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, putting itself in a leading position in the fight against climate change.
The energy transition challenge. Energy transition is one of the key issues at this COP, with the emphasis on phasing out fossil fuels and promoting renewable energies.
The EU, in particular, has called for a total halt to the use of “unabated” fossil fuels, i.e. those “burned without capturing CO2”. For example, the EU position stresses “the importance of having a predominantly fossil fuel-free energy sector well before 2050” (see EUROPE 13273/5).
On this point, some developing countries would prefer that developed countries achieve carbon neutrality well before 2050, so that a larger carbon budget can be allocated to the countries that need it most.
The EU has also called for a significant increase in renewable energies and energy efficiency (see EUROPE 13273/5).
The European strategy aims to triple installed renewable energy capacity to 11 TW and double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.
During a discussion in the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, declared on 28 November that: “This year, Europe will go to the COP with a solid track record in defining a credible and global path towards the ‘net zero emissions’ objective”. “Over the past four years, we have all worked hard to put in place a fully-fledged legal framework”, she said.
She then pointed out nine new legislative proposals in the field of energy, five of which have already been adopted, such as the TEN-E regulation, the revised directives on renewable energy and energy efficiency, and the new regulations on methane reduction (see EUROPE 13293/5) and REMIT (see EUROPE 13294/5).
Climate financing and North-South solidarity. Financing the fight against climate change remains a crucial issue, in particular the financial solidarity between developed and developing countries.
The COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) (see EUROPE 13067/10) called on developed countries to increase bilateral climate financing and to increase their support for climate financing mechanisms.
Although no concrete proposals have been finalised, the Paris Summit in June 2023 (see EUROPE 13208/10) set itself the goal of advancing discussions in this area.
In the run-up to COP28, the EU recognised the importance of mobilising funding to support climate action, particularly in developing countries (see EUROPE 13273/16).
In addition, COP28 will be an opportunity to move on to the operational phase of the loss and damage fund set up at COP27 to support vulnerable countries affected by climate disasters.
On 13 November, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, had announced a substantial EU contribution to this fund (see EUROPE 13291/10).
Adaptation and resilience. Finally, adaptation to climate change and the resilience of developing countries will be at the heart of the discussions. At the COP27, after some resistance, the participants reaffirmed the commitment made in Glasgow at the COP26 to double the funding dedicated to climate adaptation, encouraging additional contributions to strengthen national funds. The Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, launched at this event, defined a framework for global adaptation actions in key sectors. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry and Pauline Denys)