COP 28: Advancing Global

Equity and Sustainability

Dr. Yogesh Gokhale

The two-week-long exhaustive global negotiations to tackle the crisis of climate change concluded in Dubai on December 12, 2023. Representatives of 198 countries across the globe met as part of the annual deliberation known as the Conference of Parties (COP) under the aegis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai. Alongside the formal negotiations of the parties, about 100,000 people witnessed the happenings at the Dubai Expo 2020 venue, which included 156 Heads of State, 22 leaders of international organisations, over 780 ministers, 500 mayors, over 50,000 students and thousands of other key stakeholders.

The global community started deliberating consciously to tackle the problem of climate change since the launch of UNFCCC in 1992 at the Rio Conference in Brazil. Since 1995, the meetings of COP have taken place each year culminating into the 28th meeting in 2023 in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates. UNFCCC follows a consensus-based decision-making and not based on majority votes. Hence the finalisation of any decision, commitment is agreed upon only when all the member countries, which are referred to as parties, have complete acceptance. Hence, each year since 1995, there has been very slow but steady progress made to address the crisis of climate change by the global community. The flip side is that the painstakingly slow process fails to address many immediate problems for which countries need to depend on other means such as bilateral cooperations.

Currently, there is tremendous pressure on the global community to control the temperature increase below 1.5 degrees Celsius, and for that purpose, 22-25 GtCO2e (gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent) of emissions need to be mitigated by 2030. Current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) could lead to around 4-5 GtCO2e of emission reductions in 2030. Ambitious measures at policy, action, and implementation levels are anticipated through Action Agenda initiatives of the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), which would possibly lead to a reduction of 9 GtCO2e and additional mitigation of up to 8 GtCO2e possible through measures across energy, nature, and food. But this optimistic scenario is only possible when the individual countries, along with the global community, act upon policies, actions, and implementation.

Thus, in order to review the outcome from any COP meeting, it is important to understand the actions made on the decisions of the previous meetings, new commitments being made, and additional funding created for planned activities. With this in mind, COP 28 brought out the UAE Consensus document where the outcome of the long negotiations showed the efforts made by the host country to convince the negotiating countries to arrive at common decisions for actions. Carrying forward from COP 27, the first high-level ministerial round table meeting on the Just Transition Work Programme was held to prepare the activities for the next five years from immediate effect. The Work Programme recognises that climate change creates a double inequality where developed countries are responsible for the bulk of the negative consequences of climate change but remain the least affected by them, while the countries least responsible for climate change are most adversely affected by it. In addition, trade-related policies put in place by developed economies can limit developed countries' market access, trade revenues and ability to mobilise domestic resources. Trade rules and policies that, for instance, restrict access to the necessary technology can slow or limit developing countries' transition from fossil intensive energy systems and deliver low-carbon industrialisation. Similarly, the first decision on the Mitigation Work Programme was agreed on accelerating and identifying the best clean-energy pathways through 2030, building on two global dialogues on power and transport systems.

Hosting of the COP 28 by the UAE was a significant contra-diction since the vast use of fossil fuels is one of the main causes of the climate crisis and UAE being an oil exporter economy contradicts the objective of the meeting. But the parties agreed to the decision on the Global Stock Take (GST) to assess progress since Paris and put forward a plan to close implementation gaps by 2030. In a landmark agreement to bring a sectoral approach to the COP process, it calls on member countries to transition away from fossil fuels and to triple renewables and double energy efficiency globally by 2030. This is the first time in the 28 years of negotiations that fossil fuels have been directly addressed as an action point and is considered a substantive achievement of COP 28. The decision also recognises the need to peak global emissions by 2025, taking into account different national starting points, and encourages countries

to resubmit economy-wide Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). India advocated the Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) approach at UNFCCC, which is one of the best expressions of the status of countries of the global south. The revision of NDCs may take place with a climate justice perspective so as to adjust the commitments by global south countries based on the performance of developed countries.

Adaptation from the impacts of climate change is an unavoidable process and only the reduction in emissions through mitigation is not going to solve the problems. COP 28 delivered the Emirates Framework for Global Climate Resilience. Parties agreed on a universal set of themes essential for sustainable development and human well-being (food, water, health, shelter, livelihoods, nature, biodiversity and culture) to develop action plans for adaptation.

Finally, climate finance has been a critical aspect for countries in the global south. There have been several funding streams created for addressing the requirements of deserving countries. COP 28 resulted in pledging over USD $85.1 Billion commitments. These funds are accessible to deserving countries through a variety of multilateral channels, including World Bank, IMF, Multilateral Development Banks, etc. On the first day of COP 28 itself, there was an agreement on the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund and by the end of the meeting, USD $792 was pledged. The UAE launched the $30 billion catalytic climate fund ALTÉRRA, equipped with a special $5 billion risk-mitigation facility dedicated to incentivising investments in develop-ing countries and with the ambition to mobilise $250 billion by 2030 for climate transition by private and institutional investors. This is private sector engagement to deliver the climate finance on a wider scale.

Thus, COP 28 did progress on many action-oriented programmes but also pushed many decisions for future negotiations, including compliance and voluntary carbon markets. The negotiations at COP are non-legally binding and based on the pledges and commitments of the individual countries or groups of countries. Such commitments and pledges influence the pro-cesses of economic development, trade, equity, technology transfer and access to finance. Often countries in the global north dominate over global south countries as a follow-up action to such commitments and pledges.

The majority of the Indian population is primarily dependent on ecosystems and timely monsoon for livelihood. Hence, we are also facing the wrath of increased natural calamities due to climate change and thus remain at the receiving end of the climate change impacts. But to ensure the welfare of all the population, India has taken a pragmatic approach in negotiations.

A nation such as India is faced with the challenge of not immediately eliminating coal and fossil fuels but rather gradually reducing reliance on these pollution sources. Consequently, the onus falls on developed countries in the global north, the primary historical emitters, to significantly curtail emissions. This is crucial to enable other countries worldwide to achieve equitable development. India, guided by the principles of 'Mission LiFE' and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,' is committed both nationally and inter-nationally to ensuring the well-being of all. The country will persist in advancing an inclusive approach in alignment with the principles of climate justice.

(The author is Senior Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute. Feedback on this article can be sent to feedback.employmentnews@gmail.com)

Views expressed are personal.