Conference of the Parties 28

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What is COP28?

• COP 28, or the 28th Conference of the Parties, is a significant annual event under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• It serves as a global platform where representatives from various countries, including heads of state, climate experts, and environmental activists, come together to discuss, negotiate, and formulate strategies to combat climate change.
• It involves participation from countries that are parties to the UNFCCC. Non-state actors, such as NGOs, scientists, and businesses, also participate to provide insights and foster collaborations.
• COP 28, like other COP meetings, is crucial for developing countries or the Global South.
• These countries often seek greater support in terms of finance and technology to address climate change, as they are typically more vulnerable to its impacts despite contributing less to global emissions.
• COP-28 is being held at Expo City, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Key themes

The presidential statement outlined the following as key themes

• Accelerating mitigation ambition
• Enhancing adaptation action and addressing loss and damage
• Strengthening collaboration on climate finance
• Promoting innovation and technology for climate action
• Fostering inclusive climate action

What were the expectations from COP 28?

• COP28 was seen as one of the last opportunities to ensure that the world could maintain the 1.5°C threshold for global warming.
• It aimed to carry out the first Global Stocktake to comprehensively assess the fight against climate change and the requirements to fulfill the climate objectives.
• Experts have confirmed that 2023 was the hottest year ever, with more than 80 days 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial times.
• COP28 was expected to indicate to the world that enough had not been done to maintain the 1.5°C target and stimulate more ambitious climate action by the end of the decade.

Important outcomes from COP 28

Loss and Damages Fund

• Member countries agreed to operationalize the Loss & Damages Fund, which aims to compensate countries already struggling with climate change's effects.
• The L&D fund is a global financial package to aid the rescue and rehabilitation of countries severely affected by climate change.
  • It primarily targets compensation to poorer countries from wealthy, industrialized nations that have historically contributed to global warming through industrial growth.
• Countries have committed around $250 million to the fund which will be managed by an independent secretariat.
• The World Bank will serve as the interim host of the Fund for four years.
• All developing countries are eligible to apply for assistance from the Fund.
• Contributions to the Fund are voluntary.
  • A specific percentage of the Fund has been allocated to Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

ALTERRA

• ALTÉRRA is a private fund that aims to mobilize US$250 billion globally by 2030, aspiring to be the largest fund dedicated to climate investments.
  • The UAE as host of COP 28 committed $30 billion to establish the fund.
• It aims to transform emerging markets and developing economies through climate investments as they require around $2.4 trillion annually by 2030 to address climate change.
• ALTÉRRA will focus on four main areas:
  • Energy Transition
  • Industrial Decarbonisation
  • Sustainable Living
  • Climate Technologies.

Global stocktake

• The Global Stocktake was conducted to review the implementation of the Paris Agreement and assess the progress made towards achieving its goals such as the effectiveness of actions taken by countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Under the Paris Agreement, the GST is mandated as a periodic exercise with the first one in 2023 and then at five-year intervals.
• The draft Global Stocktake highlighted the need to phase out all fossil fuels and set out ambitious targets such as
  • Tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030
  • Doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement.
• India as a representative of the BASIC bloc (Brazil, South Africa, China, India) advocated for the Global Stocktake to consider the failures of developed nations.
  • The BASIC grouping expressed concerns about the fragmented multilateralism adopted by developed nations and recommended greater accountability.

New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)

• According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), wealthy nations owed developing countries $500 billion in 2025 under the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance.
  • The NCQG was confirmed by developed countries under the Paris Agreement in 2015.
  • It aims to set a new collective quantified goal before 2025 starting from a floor of $100 billion per year including $250 billion for mitigation, $100 billion for adaptation, and $150 billion for loss and damage.
• This has led to distress in developing countries, impairing them from implementing efficient plans for sustainable development.

Global Goal on Adaptation

• The draft text on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) was introduced at the COP.
  • The GGA was introduced under the Paris Agreement to enhance climate change adaptation by increasing awareness of and funding for countries’ adaptation needs regarding the 1.5/2°C.
• It addresses critical issues such as
  • Climate-induced water scarcity reduction
  • Climate-resilient agriculture and food production
  • Building resilience against climate-related health impacts

CHAMP initiative

• 65 national governments signed the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnership (CHAMP) for Climate Action.
• These countries committed to enhancing cooperation with subnational governments in planning, financing, implementing, and monitoring climate strategies.
• It aims to maximize climate action, collectively pursue efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and increase adaptation and resilience.

Methane reduction

• Fifty oil and gas companies pledged to achieve zero methane emissions by 2030.
  • A plan to achieve these targets would be submitted by 2025.
• They also committed to ensuring net zero greenhouse gas emissions from their operations by 2050.
• A fund was announced for methane abatement projects in emerging markets and developing economies.

Powering Past Coal Alliance(PPCA)

• The PPCA is a coalition of national and sub-national governments, businesses, and organizations that work to advance the transition from unrestricted power generation from coal to clean energy.
• New national and subnational governments joined the PPCA at COP28 and called for cleaner energy alternatives.

Coal Transition Accelerator

• The Coal Transition Accelerator was introduced by France in association with various countries and organizations.
• Aim: Facilitate just and effective transitions from coal to clean energy through knowledge-sharing, policy design, and financial support.

Transition away from fossil fuels

• For the first time, around 200 countries agreed to transition away from the use of fossil fuels in energy systems.
• The Dubai consensus called on countries to ensure a just, orderly, and equitable transition to achieve net zero by 2050.

Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge

• 118 countries agreed targets to triple renewable power generation capacity to 11,000 GW, and double energy efficiency by 2030.
  • This could help avoid around 7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of GHGs.
• However, India did not sign the pledge in line with its policy not to be “pressured” into cutting coal despite a similar agreement being agreed at the India-chaired G20 Summit in New Delhi earlier in 2023.

Nuclear energy

• More than 20 countries including the USA, France, the UK, Japan, Canada, South Korea, and Ukraine pledged to cooperate on the goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity from 2020 to 2050.
• At present, nuclear energy provides about 10% of the world’s total electricity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Health

• The inaugural ‘Health Day’ at COP-28 signifies a shift in focus to how public health can adapt to climate change.
• The Declaration on Climate and Health, which highlights the link between climate change and health was endorsed by 123 governments.
• The countries acknowledged shared objectives such as
  • Adoption of a One Health approach
  • Enhancing climate-health information services, surveillance, early warning and response systems
  • Creating a climate-ready health workforce
  • Partnering with indigenous and local communities, women and girls, children and youth, healthcare workers, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations
  • Accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
  • Addressing waste and emissions from the health sector

Tropical diseases

• Countries and global donors have pledged over US$777 million to help defeat neglected tropical diseases and improve the lives of 1.6 billion people.

Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action

• The leaders-level COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action was made at a special session of the World Climate Action Summit (WCAS).
• It was led by the leaders of Indonesia, Italy, Samoa, and the USA to address global emissions while protecting the lives and livelihoods of farmers.
• 134 countries – representing over 5.7 billion people and 76% of total emissions from the global food system have signed up to the Declaration.
• It aims to build a global food system fit for the future while embedding sustainable agriculture and food systems as critical components in dealing with climate change and building future-proof food systems.
• The UAE announced that it would join the CGIAR, a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security, resilience, and climate adaptation.

Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes

• COP28 launched the Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes along with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), supported by the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions.
• Food and agriculture organizations will cooperate to scale regenerative agriculture accompanied by $2.2 billion in future investment.
• This will assist in transitioning 160 million hectares to regenerative agriculture by 2030.

Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership

• Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership was endorsed by 68 Parties.
  • 1.2 billion jobs, representing 40 percent of the global labor force, are at risk due to global warming and environmental degradation.
• It consists of a package of commitments on finance, data, and equal opportunities.
• Three core pillars of the partnership:
  • Better quality data to support decision-making in transition planning
  • More effective finance flows to regions most impacted by climate change
  • Education, skills, and capacity building to support individual engagement in transitions.

Decarbonization

• The Arab Energy Fund announced plans to invest up to $1 billion over the next five years in decarbonization technologies.
  • This was part of a five-year strategy to 2028 to support the regional energy transition towards net-zero goals.

Steel Standards Principles

• The COP launched the Steel Standards Principles which aim to align greenhouse gas emissions in the steel sector with climate targets.
• The Principles were developed by standard-setting bodies, international organizations, steel producers, and industry associations and call for establishing common methodologies to accelerate the transition to near-zero emissions in the sector.
• It recognizes that the sector accounts for approximately 8% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions which must be reduced by at least 90% for the sector to play a credible role in achieving climate targets.

Green Climate Fund

• Countries committed to a $12.5 billion replenishment of the Green Climate Fund, which was the largest ever in history.

Climate Resilient Debt

• The UK announced the first ever climate-resilient debt clauses in Africa, with Senegal. 73 countries joined together to issue a call to action on the adoption of these clauses.

Global Cooling Pledge

• 52 Countries committed to reduce their cooling emissions by at least 68% by 2050
  • These kinds of emissions now account for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are expected to triple by 2050.
  • It aims to increase access to sustainable cooling by 2030 and increase the global average efficiency of new air conditioners by 50%.

Other philanthropic commitments

• At the 'Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum', the Green Climate Fund, Allied Climate Partners, and Allianz Global Investors pledged $5 billion to advance climate and nature action.
• Philanthropic bodies including the Sequoia Climate Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund committed $450 million to solutions addressing methane emissions.
• The UAE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched a $ 200 million partnership for Food Systems, Agriculture Innovation and Climate Action, focused on agricultural research, scaling agricultural innovations, and funding technical assistance for implementing the Declaration.

India-led outcomes

India as Host in 2028

• India proposed to host the 2028 climate change conference, COP33, in India.
  • India previously hosted COP8 in 2002.

Global River Cities Alliance

• The Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA), led by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), was launched at COP28.
• Aim: Foster global collaboration for river conservation and sustainable water management
  • Propagate river-sensitive development in cities.
• The Alliance includes more than 275 river cities across 11 countries and international funding agencies.

Green Credits scheme

• India offered the Green Credits Programme, a market-based incentive system initiated by the Environment Ministry in October to the world.
• Aims:
  • Encourage and reward a range of environment-positive actions beyond just carbon emission reductions.
  • Extend the concept of carbon credits to other environmental efforts such as water conservation or soil improvement.
  • Entities can earn credits for taking actions that positively impact the environment.
  • These credits could then be traded, allowing companies that may not meet emission standards to buy credits and thereby improve their environmental performance.

What were the positive impacts of the COP28?

• Global Stocktake: The first global stocktake exercise was undertaken at COP28, indicating countries’ commitment to ensuring sustainable development and countering emissions.
• Acknowledgement of fossil fuel’s role in climate change: COP-28 formally acknowledged the role played by fossil fuels in global warming and climate change.
  • This is expected to speed the transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources.
• Phase-down of coal: COP28 reiterated the 2021 Glasgow call to phase down coal usage.
• Renewable energy: The Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, could help avoid around 7 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent of emissions by 2030.
  • This would exceed emission reductions from all other climate actions being taken now.
• Climate finance: Countries recognized that enhanced climate finance was necessary to combat the effects of climate change.
• Loss and Damage Fund: Developing and underdeveloped countries that have suffered climate change-induced loss will gain access to climate justice as a result of the operationalization of the fund.
• Adaptation: It highlighted the importance of global adaptation and identified common goals with global significance.

What were the shortcomings of the COP28?

• Lack of short-term goals: The Agreement did not do enough to accelerate climate action in the short term.
  • Experts have suggested that developed countries should reach net zero between 2035 and 2040, earlier than the global target (2050) as it will help create carbon space for developing countries.
• Unfulfilled commitments: The committed amounts have been described as inadequate to rehabilitate people affected by climate change-driven adverse weather events.
  • According to estimates, developing nations face annual costs of climate-related damages of about $400 billion annually.
  • Developed countries have reneged on earlier commitments to mobilize $ 100 billion in climate finance by 2030.
• Inadequacies in financing: Although financing requirements are dire in emerging and developing economies, funds have not been distributed evenly.
  • For example, Africa - an extremely vulnerable region only attracts 3% of the global clean energy investment.
  • Concerns have been raised about the World Bank’s role in overseeing the Loss and Damages Fund and the voluntary nature of contributions to the Fund.
  • The COP28 failed to establish a financial mechanism to finance the Global Goal on Adaptation.
• Greenwashing: Critics have accused the summit and previous summits of enabling greenwashing by countries and businesses.
  • Greenwashing is the practice in which firms and governments mark all kinds of activities as climate-friendly, as something that would lead to emissions reduction, or avoidance of emissions.
  • This allows them to promote their climate credentials without making the necessary changes.
• Dilution of fossil fuel pledges: The COP has not been able to fix schedules and targets for the phase-out of fossil fuel.
  • Oil-producing countries preferred the use of the term “phase-down” instead of the stricter “phase-out” used in earlier agreements.
  • The proposal that no new coal-fired power plants should be opened without an in-built carbon capture and storage facility was opposed by India, China, and South Africa.
• Disagreements over emission cuts: Countries like India have strongly opposed binding commitments on reducing methane emissions whose major source is the agriculture and livestock industry.
  • Such changes could lead to food security concerns for developing countries like India.
  • As a result, the agreement did not mention any methane emission cut targets for 2030 despite methane being the second most prevalent GHG and accounting for 25% of all emissions.
• No binding targets for renewable energy: Although countries have pledged to triple renewable energy by 2030, no binding individual targets have been set out.
  • Therefore, there is an absence of clarity on how countries would achieve these goals.

Conclusion

COP28 marked a pivotal moment in global climate action, with significant decisions such as the establishment of the Loss and Damages Fund, the Climate Investment Fund, and commitments on methane reduction and renewable energy. The conference witnessed extended international collaboration and a heightened focus on health, agriculture, and transitions for a more sustainable future.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: “Climate Action Tracker” which monitors the emission reduction pledges of different countries is a: (UPSC 2022)

(a) Database created by coalition of research organisations

(b) Wing of “International Panel of Climate Change”

(c) Committee under “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change”

(d) Agency promoted and financed by United Nations Environment Programme and World Bank

Question: The ‘Common Carbon Metric’, supported by UNEP, has been developed for: (UPSC 2021)

(a) assessing the carbon footprint of building operations around the world

(b) enabling commercial farming entities around the world to enter carbon emission trading

(c) enabling governments to assess the overall carbon footprint caused by their countries

(d) assessing the overall carbon foot-print caused by the use of fossil fuels by the world in a unit time

Question: “Momentum for Change: Climate Neutral Now” is an initiative launched by: (UPSC 2018)

(a) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(b) The UNEP Secretariat

(c) The UNFCCC Secretariat

(d) The World Meteorological Organisation