A Failure: COP28 Further Weakens the Paris Agreement

Dubai, UAE. 11/12/2023- Press Release: French  English

Our worst fears have come to pass.

The Dubai Climate Change Conference ends with a predictably failed crescendo, and once again, the UNFCCC multilateral process has proved a mirage for millions of vulnerable people in Africa and the world over, whose aspirations, desires and expectations have been dashed.

COP28 has missed the opportunity to put the world on track to deeply reduce greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the Paris Agreement target of keeping post-industrial revolution global mean temperature rise under 1.5 degrees Celsius at the turn of this century.

As we outlined during our initial and second press Conferences, we welcome the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund despite its “slap-on-the-face, peanut pledges”, but refuse to celebrate it since several issues – notably the extended timeframe to access the money – are yet to be resolved for the Fund to be of optimal use to communities at the frontline of climate change impacts.

Earlier this year, we warned that the outcome we are staring in the next couple of hours was inevitable after the host country, the United Arab Emirates (UEA) appointed an oil Executive, Sultan Al Jaber to preside over the negotiations. In addition to being indifferent, contentious and exhibiting don’t-care attitude which have been captured in the media, Sultan Al Jaber has undeniably become an enabler, and foreseen the participation of the historic number of big polluters, promoters of false climate solutions and anti-climate corporate interests.

We have reason to believe that the Parties have surrendered, and /or ceded the negotiations to climate profiteers, profaners of justice and entertained the influence of ill-intentioned individuals whose vision is to derail and retard the global transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient, inclusive and ecologically-just development pathways. The continuation of this trend will, no doubt, undermine the spirit of the UN Climate Convention, and the Paris Agreement and irreparably damage the imperatives of climate justice, with dire consequences to people, society and economies in Africa, further South and North.  Read more/Download: French  English