The 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP28, has officially begun in Dubai.
This comes as the world grapples with the repercussions of the hottest year ever recorded in human history and escalating climate crises affecting lives globally.
This conference is happening in a year that’s been described as the hottest on record, and climate issues are causing negative impacts for people all over the world.
The global stock take, concluding at this year’s COP, highlights that current efforts are insufficient to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5°C by the end of the century.
A special report from the UN climate change group indicates that national climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), fall far short of the necessary reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the United Nations, Replenishing the Green Climate Fund, doubling financial resources for adaptation and operationalising the loss and damage fund are key to keeping 1.5°C within reach while leaving no one behind.
Progress on climate finance at COP28 will be crucial to build trust in other negotiation areas and to lay the groundwork for an even more ambitious goal for climate finance, which must be in place next year.
It will also set the stage for a just and inclusive transition to renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels.
