COP28 Gathers with Jam-Packed Schedule in Hottest Year on Record

The prediction that 2023 will be the hottest year ever recorded has prompted the UN Secretary-General to declare the end of global warming and the beginning of global boiling. This urgency is especially pronounced in Africa, where drought in the Horn of Africa has led to widespread death and suffering. Even the most polluting nations are not immune to the climate crisis, as recent floods in New York and Dubai have highlighted.

As COP28 begins on November 30, the big question is whether this summit will provide an unprecedented response to the global climate crisis. Specifically, the report “Africa’s Agenda for COP28” urges a strong response at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, focusing on six key areas:

1. Loss and Damage Fund: This fund is seen as a critical lifeline for vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by climate-induced disasters.
2. Just Transition Work Programme: The report calls for a program that supports Africa and other developing nations in transitioning to low-carbon economies while ensuring no one is left behind.
3. Global Goal on Adaptation: The report emphasizes clear definitions and doubling of adaptation finance to prioritize low-risk concessional loans and grants.
4. Climate Finance Commitments: The report insists on clear commitments and tangible progress in climate finance negotiations, aligning financial support with justice and fairness principles.
5. Global Stocktake Process: A thorough review of pre-2020 commitments, climate finance, and technology transfer is seen as pivotal to collective efforts in achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
6. Mitigation towards 1.5 Celsius: The report emphasizes the need for resolute global efforts to limit temperature rise, emphasizing equity, responsibility, and concrete actions.

Mohamed Adow, Founder and Executive Director of Power Shift Africa, stressed the importance of African nations working together and unified at the COP28 climate summit. He noted the need for rich countries to deliver on their promise of climate finance to help Africans adapt to climate change and compensate the most vulnerable who have suffered losses and damages. Adow also highlighted the momentum of global south cooperation, calling for it to continue in Dubai.

The urgent need for action on climate change is clear, and it remains to be seen whether the COP28 summit will rise to the challenge and provide a meaningful response to the global climate crisis.