COP28: What all to expect? Who all will be attending?

As the year comes to an end, the world is eagerly keeping an eye on the United Nations Climate Summit (COP28), 2023, which is to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This 2023 edition of the COP Summit is scheduled to commence on November 30 and end on December 12. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other top world leaders will be discussing steps and strategies to combat climate emergency. This comes after the breakage of many climate records such as the surge in the sea surface temperatures and more, making the summit of immense environmental significance.

Here we bring to you a summation of all the essential issues that will be a topic of discussion among the world leaders at the COP28 Summit.

Food Security- a global concern

Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without the consideration of food systems. A new partnership has been announced by the United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub and the COP28 Presidency with the objective to raise the importance of food systems as a robust step towards hitting the sustainable development goals along with the aims of the Paris Agreement of July 2023. In times when climate emergency gets worse, it is important to think deeply about food security.

The partnership aims at strengthening the intent and commitments of the governments and the Heads of States that will be a part of the COP28 to execute steps towards food systems. These steps would include planning processes with the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the year 2025.

 Climate Finance- a much needed deliberation

The COP28 will be greatly stressing over climate finance. Financial support is required for projects involving capacity building and technology transfer, aimed at bringing emissions down and shifting toward clean energy.

The U.N. calculated the expenses and asserted that at least $200 billion is required by developing countries every year by 2030 in order to deal with aggravating climate change effects such as storms, coastal sea rises, and more. On the other hand, the situation of affluent nations is different, but they are also facing struggles in fulfilling a 2009-signed pledge of providing $100 billion per year to vulnerable States by the year 2020. Huge climate change impacts brought challenges in the completion of the pledge, and the countries have not been able to fulfill the pledge till now. The commitment will be expiring by the year 2025.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development quotes estimates by Oxfam and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, asserting that the actual flow of finance from developed nations to developing nations in the year 2020 was between $21 billion and $83.3 billion.

Discussion on clean energy capacity

The COP28 Presidency and the European Union shook hands in June 2023 and pledged to seek support in order to expand renewable energy capacity at a global level to aid nations in making a switch to unabated fossil fuels.

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What will the COP28 nations do with regard to clean energy capacity? Nations are expected to ponder over the issue of clean energy capacity and set targets aiming at tripling renewable energy capacity, while also increasing energy savings by double by the year 2030.

Conversation and agreements related to global stocktake

Countries bring about a periodical review, known as the global stocktake, to contain GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions and to shift to renewable energy sources from fossil-fuel-dependent energy systems. For instance, in September 2023, a synthesis report was published that carried important recommendations.

The exercise will see its final conclusion at the 2023 edition of the COP28 summit. It is expected to impact discussions and deliberations at the summit. The report pointed out the fact that the world is actually not moving on track to hit the Paris Agreement objectives. The findings of the report also suggest that countries are left with a "rapidly narrowing" window to make changes in case they wish to combat global warming.

Fossil fuels

It can be expected that putting an end to the use of fossil fuels will be discussed at the COP28 summit. A phase-out for fossil fuels is expected to be pushed by the European Union. This, no wonder, is going to be an important issue to discuss as there are many nations that prefer the use of coal, gas, and oil besides making use of technology to control emissions. Countries are still reluctant to abstain from making use of fossil fuels altogether. For instance, China intends to continue using fossil fuels for decades to come. The country is actually the biggest fossil fuel consumer in the world at present.

Discussion on loss and damage compensation

The loss and damage fund is set up with the vision to aid vulnerable and developing nations in combatting the financial losses they incur at times of environmental degradation and climate crisis.

The COP27 held on November 22 saw UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) representatives (i.e. its member States) assent to the establishment of the Loss and Damage fund. The member States also agreed upon setting up a Transitional Committee to ascertain the ways in which the novel funding mechanisms would be operating under the fund.

One of the functions of the Transitional Committee was to prepare recommendations that the nations would ponder upon, consider, and adopt with the COP28.

It is expected that the world will be seeing COP28 finalizing the details of the Loss and Damage fund. The details will include information regarding the amount of money that is going to be invested, along with the names of the countries that will be contributing to it.

Capturing and storing carbon

An important issue that might reach the table of the COP28 Summit for discussion is the use of technology for the purpose of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and then storing this collected carbon dioxide in stable forms for a long duration.

Capturing and storing carbon is going to be important in the coming times in case the countries do not reach a robust plan to combat emissions.

Health- an important issue

Health can never become an inessential or light discussion. The adverse effects of the climate crisis on all life forms have been witnessed by all countries, and thus, this topic is expected to bring about deep discussions at COP28.

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The Presidency of the COP

Adnoc is an oil company in the United Arab Emirates. The oil company is State-owned. The aim of the company is to increase its output to double to five million barrels per day by the year 2027. This target, however, was previously set for the year 2030. Sultan al-Jaber is the chief executive of Adnoc and is also the President of COP28. 

The appointment of Sultan al-Jaber as the President of COP28 has not been much appreciated by activists and climate experts. The latter is of the view that this presidency of Jaber may go into misalignment with the aims of the summit to reduce GHG emissions.

Finally, who will be a part of the COP28 Summit, and who won't?

This year, the COP28 summit will see many climate experts and government representatives being a part of discussions and negotiations related to climate change mitigation. Not to miss, the countries will also be looking at the progress made by them in recent years on the path of achieving environmental agreements and pacts.

Many prominent world leaders are going to be a part of the COP28 summit, however, some leaders and experts will not be able to make it.

Have a glance at the leaders attending and not attending the COP28 summit, 2023.

While all these delegates will be a part of the COP28, the following leaders will not be attending the summit.

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