Leaders from around the world are speaking at the COP28 climate conference this Friday, and many are expected to speak about the difficulties created by the climate disasters occurring in their countries.
In his opening speech, British King Charles warned that climate change is no longer a distant risk. He urged authorities to take immediate action.
The monarch expressed hope that COP28 will be a critical turning point for transformational action. He mentioned the 2015 summit in France.
At the UN conference, Secretary-General António Guterres, a frequent defender of climate change, also spoke about the urgency of the issue.
End of fossil fuels and challenges in achieving the goals of the Paris agreement
He then called for an end to the burning of fossil fuels. Stating that the world is far from the goals of the Paris Agreement, he called for immediate action.
Meanwhile, delegations and technical committees, far from the main stage, began their activities. Assessing progress on global climate goals is a monumental task.
This Friday, the UN released the first draft of a possible model for the final agreement at the summit, which ends on December 12.
The document proposes “building blocks” for a policy outcome. He thus offers several options for addressing the summit's critical question: deciding whether fossil fuels should play a role in the future and to what extent.
One option includes commitments to reduce or phase out the use of fossil fuels. This entails eventually moving away from coal power and tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
On Thursday, COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber urged countries to collaborate with oil companies. He then highlighted the importance of involving fossil fuel companies in negotiations to resolve the climate crisis.
The summit also scored an early victory by adopting a new fund to help poor countries deal with costly climate disasters.
Source: Valerie Volcovici and William James | Notícias Agrícolas
