Breaking News from the COP28 Climate Talks
Loss and Damage Fund; Colombia and Samoa join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty; Methane Pledge: A Surge of Promises; Playing the there is “no science” game, again.
Record number of fossil fuel lobbyists granted access to COP28 climate talks
A new analysis from the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition has revealed that at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the COP28 climate negotiations in Dubai. This figure represents a record number and raises concerns about the influence of the fossil fuel industry on this year's UN summit, which is being run by the CEO of the United Arab Emirates national oil company. The scale of oil and gas influence in Dubai is unprecedented, with almost four times as many industry-affiliated lobbyists as the number registered for COP27. There were only 636 fossil fuel lobbyists at last year’s COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
This is the first year that participants were required to disclose their affiliations at the UN climate talks, following years of pressure from advocacy groups. It was a response to concerns about the growing influence of fossil fuel lobbyists at the climate negotiations.
The fossil fuel industry has increased its presence and influence at the COP summits, which are focused on solving the climate crisis that it helped create. If this is not evidence that fossil fuel money continues to exert heavy influence at the highest levels of climate policy, I don't know what is.
Loss and Damage Fund
On the first day of COP28, 198 nations ratified the framework for making COP27's loss and damage fund operational, and the first pledges were made. The total initial funding is close to $429 million, a much-needed boost, but still far from the billions of dollars needed to make a substantive difference to communities in desperate need of help. According to the latest Adaptation Finance Gap Update report, developing countries will need between $215 billion and $387 billion annually this decade to adapt to climate change.
The EU led with $245 million, including $109 million from Germany, and the US pledged $17.5 million, or about 0.002% of its defence budget. Additionally, the United Arab Emirates pledged $100 million, the UK pledged about $75 million, and Japan pledged $10 million. Italy also pledged 100 million euros to the fund.
Wealthy nations have pledged to contribute to climate funds such as the Green Climate Fund, but there have been instances of failing to live up to these pledges. A Nature article highlighted the broken promise of wealthy nations to channel $100 billion a year to developing nations by 2020 to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate further rises.
Additionally, a Reuters investigation found that a substantial sum of this money is allocated to projects that might not directly address climate change, like coal plants, hotels, and chocolate shops.
Colombia and Samoa join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
On Saturday, Colombia became the 10th nation to join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Other countries include Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Niue, Antigua and Barbuda, Timor-Leste, and Palau. Colombia is the largest producer of coal and gas in Latin America, and its economy is highly dependent on oil and coal. Despite this, the country is showing a deep understanding of the urgency and necessity of aligning policies with scientific evidence to halt the proliferation of fossil fuels.
On Monday, Samoa also joined the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, becoming the 11th nation-state to lend its voice to the global initiative to manage an equitable transition away from oil, gas, and coal!
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is a civil society campaign to create a treaty to stop fossil fuel exploration and expansion and phase out existing production in line with the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement while supporting a just transition to renewable energy. It is the brainchild of the policy advisor on climate and energy issues and long-time Canadian advocate, Tzeporah Berman. Berman has been working on environmental campaigns and policy in Canada and beyond for over thirty years. She is currently the International Program Director at Stand.earth and the Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. You can watch her widely-viewed TED Talk presenting the case for a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels here.
Methane Pledge: A Surge of Promises
50 oil and gas companies have pledged to cut their methane emissions to near zero by 2030. Saudi Aramco and ADNOC of the UAE, whose CEO is the president of the COP28, Sultan Al Jaber, were among 29 national companies that signed this non-binding agreement to cut operational emissions. Methane is a potent heat-trapping gas that leaks from oil and gas wells even years after they've been abandoned.
Before you start celebrating the achievement, let me explain why this pledge falls short.
It is a non-binding agreement; therefore, the parties involved are not legally obligated to carry out its terms. According to a recent report by The Guardian, fields run by ADNOC have been flaring gas nearly daily despite having committed 20 years ago to a policy of zero routine flaring.
These emissions make up only a small fraction of the total emissions for oil and gas operations, which account for 15% of total energy-related emissions globally, according to the IEA. It enables fossil fuel businesses to boast positive action while ignoring the elephant in the room: their carbon emissions.
Because of regulations that allow the industry to postpone cleaning old wells indefinitely, many companies have a practice of abandoning them, eventually dumping the responsibility on taxpayers.
Playing the there is “no science” game again
And here we are again, two weeks before the actual beginning of COP28, with the conference's president and CEO of the UAE's state oil company, ADNOC Ahmed Al-Jaber, "mansplaining" to Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and UN special climate envoy, that there is "no science" behind the need to phase out fossil fuels. "I'm telling you, I'm the man in charge." (video)
He also said that a phase-out of fossil fuels would not allow sustainable development "unless you want to take the world back into caves." These comments were criticized as "incredibly concerning," but really, what would you expect a man whose main job is the head of the oil company to say?
The oil industry uses significant financial resources to lobby against climate change measures, influencing public opinion and government policies. They have no plans to change their point of view anytime soon.
In response to the backlash, Al Jaber held a hasty press conference on Monday, 4 December, where he defended his commitment to climate science and said that his comments were misinterpreted. He stated that the 1.5°C goal was his "north star" and that a phase-down and phase-out of fossil fuel was "inevitable" and "essential," but "we need to be real, serious, and pragmatic about it."
So, let’s be real and serious. Let’s start by debunking some myths. The science of climate change has been clear for decades. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. The most recent assessments from the U.N.'s climate science panel say that cutting emissions steeply by 2030, reaching net zero by 2050, is needed to have a chance at limiting warming to 1.5°C. If you're designing policy to align with the 1.5°C goal, that means no new fossil fuel projects and no new exploration. NONE. Anywhere in the world.
However, despite these findings, countries are investing in new projects while they're at COP28. The 2023 Production Gap report reveals that the world’s fossil fuel producers, including ADNOC, are planning to increase their production by 2030, which would exceed the carbon budget for limiting global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C.
Study after study shows we don’t need more fossil fuels to ensure development. Renewable energy and energy efficiency measures may offer a more economically viable path forward. It could boost domestic industry, reduce the impacts of climate change, lower the health impacts of a fossil fuel-based economy, and lift people out of poverty.
Deloitte’s Global Turning Point Report finds that unchecked climate change could cost the global economy US$178 trillion over the next 50 years unless global leaders unite in a systemic net-zero transition.
A report from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which brings together the work of multiple research institutions and NGOs, highlights the incompatibility of sustainable development and fossil fuels.
Transitioning away from fossil fuels can lead to sustainable economic growth and job creation. Transitioning to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar can lead to cost savings over time.
So, no, we don’t need to live in caves. We can live in houses with solar thermal panels and heat pumps powered by renewable energy and have access to public and electrified transport.
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