Climate

UN climate conference signals beginning of the end of fossil fuel era

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates, known as COP28 from November 30 to December 12, 2023 ended with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era. But the UN said the deal for “transitioning away from fossil fuels” – a first for a UN climate conference – still stopped short of a long-demanded call for a “phaseout” of oil, coal and gas.

Following is a press release from the UN Climate Change News. Dubai, 13 December 2023 – The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed today with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance.

In a demonstration of global solidarity, negotiators from nearly 200 Parties came together in Dubai with a decision on the world’s first ‘global stocktake’ to ratchet up climate action before the end of the decade – with the overarching aim to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach.

“Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in his closing speech. “Now all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay.”

The global stocktake is considered the central outcome of COP28 – as it contains every element that was under negotiation and can now be used by countries to develop stronger climate action plans due by 2025.

The stocktake recognizes the science that indicates global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, to limit global warming to 1.5°C. But it notes Parties are off track when it comes to meeting their Paris Agreement goals.

The stocktake calls on Parties to take actions towards achieving, at a global scale, a tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030. The list also includes accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power, phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and other measures that drive the transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, with developed countries continuing to take the lead.

In the short-term, Parties are encouraged to come forward with ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories and aligned with the 1.5°C limit in their next round of climate action plans (known as nationally determined contributions) by 2025.

Helping countries strengthen resilience to the effects of climate change – The two-week-long conference got underway with the World Climate Action Summit, which brought together 154 Heads of States and Government. Parties reached a historic agreement on the operationalization of the loss and damage fund and funding arrangements – the first time a substantive decision was adopted on the first day of the conference. Commitments to the fund started coming in moments after the decision was gaveled, totaling more than USD 700 million to date.

There was more progress on the loss and damage agenda with an agreement also reached that the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN Office for Project Services will host the secretariat of the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage. This platform will catalyze technical assistance to developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Parties agreed on targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its framework, which identify where the world needs to get to in order to be resilient to the impacts of a changing climate and to assess countries’ efforts. The GGA framework reflects a global consensus on adaptation targets and the need for finance, technology and capacity-building support to achieve them.

Increasing climate finance – Climate finance took center stage at the conference, with Stiell repeatedly calling it the “great enabler of climate action.”

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) received a boost to its second replenishment with six countries pledging new funding at COP28 with total pledges now standing at a record USD 12.8 billion from 31 countries, with further contributions expected.

Eight donor governments announced new commitments to the Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund totaling more than USD 174 million to date, while new pledges, totaling nearly USD 188 million so far, were made to the Adaptation Fund at COP28.

However as highlighted in the global stocktake, these financial pledges are far short of the trillions eventually needed to support developing countries with clean energy transitions, implementing their national climate plans and adaptation efforts.

In order to deliver such funding, the global stocktake underscores the importance of reforming the multilateral financial architecture, and accelerating the ongoing establishment of new and innovative sources of finance.

At COP28, discussions continued on setting a ‘new collective quantified goal on climate finance’ in 2024, taking into account the needs and priorities of developing countries. The new goal, which will start from a baseline of USD 100 billion per year, will be a building block for the design and subsequent implementation of national climate plans that need to be delivered by 2025.

Looking ahead to the transitions to decarbonized economies and societies that lie ahead, there was agreement that the mitigation work programme, which was launched at COP27 last year, will continue until 2030, with at least two global dialogues held each year.

Event participation and inclusivity – World leaders at COP28 were joined by civil society, business, Indigenous Peoples, youth, philanthropy, and international organizations in a spirit of shared determination to close the gaps to 2030. Some 85,000 participants attended COP28 to share ideas, solutions, and build partnerships and coalitions.

The decisions taken here today also reemphasize the critical importance of empowering all stakeholders to engage in climate action; in particular through the action plan on Action for Climate Empowerment and the Gender Action Plan.

Strengthening collaboration between governments and key stakeholders – In parallel with the formal negotiations, the Global Climate Action space at COP28 provided a platform for governments, businesses and civil society to collaborate and showcase their real-world climate solutions.

The High-Level Champions, under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, launched their implementation roadmap of 2030 Climate Solutions. These are a set of solutions, with insights from a wide range of non-Party stakeholders on effective measures that need to be scaled up and replicated to halve global emissions, address adaptation gaps and increase resilience by 2030.

The conference also saw several announcements to boost the resilience of food and public health systems, and to reduce emissions related to agriculture and methane.

Looking ahead – The negotiations on the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ at COP28 laid the ground for a new era of implementing the Paris Agreement. UN Climate Change is developing the transparency reporting and review tools for use by Parties, which were showcased and tested at COP28. The final versions of the reporting tools should be made available to Parties by June 2024.

COP28 also saw Parties agree to Azerbaijan as host of COP29 from 11-22 November 2024, and Brazil as COP30 host from 10-21 November 2025.

The next two years will be critical. At COP29, governments must establish a new climate finance goal, reflecting the scale and urgency of the climate challenge. And at COP30, they must come prepared with new nationally determined contributions that are economy-wide, cover all greenhouse gases and are fully aligned with the 1.5°C temperature limit.

“We must get on with the job of putting the Paris Agreement fully to work,” said Stiell. “In early 2025, countries must deliver new nationally determined contributions. Every single commitment – on finance, adaptation, and mitigation – must bring us in line with a 1.5-degree world.”

“My final message is to ordinary people everywhere raising their voices for change,” Stiell added. “Every one of you is making a real difference. In the crucial coming years your voices and determination will be more important than ever. I urge you never to relent. We are still in this race. We will be with you every single step of the way.”

“The world needed to find a new way. By following our North Star, we have found that path,” said COP28 President, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber during his closing speech. “We have worked very hard to secure a better future for our people and our planet. We should be proud of our historic achievement.”

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UN climate conference signals beginning of the end of fossil fuel era

Increasing climate finance – Climate finance took center stage at the conference, with Stiell repeatedly calling it the “great enabler of climate action.”

The conference also saw several announcements to boost the resilience of food and public health systems, and to reduce emissions related to agriculture and methane.

COP28 also saw Parties agree to Azerbaijan as host of COP29 from 11-22 November 2024, and Brazil as COP30 host from 10-21 November 2025.

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UPDATE: UN climate summit opens with agreement on Loss and Damage Fund

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Dubai/New York, November 30 – The UN climate summit in the United Arab Emirates opened with a “historic” agreement to help poor and vulnerable countries pay the cost of losses and damages caused by extreme weather.

“I congratulate parties for this historic decision,” said UAR Sultan al-Jaber, who presides over the summit known as COP28 after it formally launched the Loss and Damage Fund on its first day of work. “This sends a positive signal of momentum to the world and to our work.”

The United Nations said it has a roadmap to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius and it urges leaders attending the opening of the climate summit in Dubai to fire the “starting gun” on the race to keep that limit alive.

UN Secretary-General Antonio asked the summit – known as COP28 – to set “clear expectations” for the next climate action plans, to commit to the partnerships and finance to make them possible and to triple renewables and double energy efficiency.

He also asked the attendees to “commit to phase out fossil fuels, with a clear time frame aligned to the 1.5-degree limit. We must also go further and faster in protecting people from climate chaos.”

He said an early warning system launched by the UN last year should begin working to protect every person on earth by 2027 and every vulnerable developing country should have the support they need to develop and implement adaptation investment plan by 2025.

“Leaders must get the Loss and Damage Fund off to a flying start, with generous,

early contributions,” he said. “Developed countries must honor the promise to deliver $100 billion a year in climate finance, and they must present a clear plan showing how they will make good on their commitment to double adaptation finance by 2025, as a first step to ensuring at least half of all climate finance goes to adaptation. Today’s report shows we’re in deep trouble.”

“Leaders must get us out of it – starting at COP28,” Guterres said.

Guterres, who visited Antarctica in early November to see for himself how fast ice is melting, said both Antarctica and Greenland are melting well over three times faster than they were in the early 1990s as the Southern ocean is slowly heating up.

“We need a global commitment to triple renewables, double energy efficiency, and bring clean power to all, by 2030,” Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. “We need a clear and credible commitment to phase out fossil fuels on a timeframe that aligns with the 1.5-degree limit.”

“And we need climate justice – setting the world up for a huge increase in investment in adaptation and loss and damage to protect people from climate extremes. Antarctica is crying out for action. It is profoundly shocking to stand on the ice of Antarctica and hear directly from scientists how fast the ice is disappearing.”

He said new figures provided this September by scientists showed that Antarctic sea ice hit an all-time low and was 1.5 million square kms smaller than the average for the time of year – an area roughly equal to the combined size of Portugal, Spain, France and Germany. Melting sea ice rises sea levels and endangers lives and livelihoods in coastal communities across the globe.

In addition, floods and saltwater intrusion imperil crops and drinking water – threatening food and water security.

Guterres said the cause of all this destruction came from fossil fuel pollution coating the earth and heating the planet. “Without changing course, we’re heading towards a calamitous three-degree Celsius temperature rise by the end of the century,” he said.

The 28^th Conference of the Parties (COP28)

The UN climate summit – from November 30 to December 12 – is hosted this year by the United Arab Emirates, the world’s fifth largest oil producer. It will be attended by government representatives, many of them heads of state and government, from some 200 countries. Business leaders, climate activists, scientists and civil society organizations are expected also to attend. The summit is expected to draft a plan to speed up the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources among a host of climate issues.

The UN expects three significant results from COP28. The first one known as “global stocktake” which will be the first assessment of whether countries have carried out climate action to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees. The second is a final agreement on the Loss and Damage fund that pays for climate-related damages suffered by poor ad vulnerable countries and the third one is whether the summit would agree to replace fossil fuels with clean energy such as wind and solar power.

The UN website on climate action said COP28 is a “pivotal opportunity to correct course and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. COP28 is where the world will take stock of progress on the Paris Agreement – the landmark climate treaty concluded in 2015 – and chart a course of action to dramatically reduce emissions and protect lives and livelihoods.”

“The science is clear: to preserve a livable climate, the production of coal, oil, and gas must rapidly decline, and global renewable power capacity – including wind, solar, hydro and geothermal energy – needs to triple by 2030. At the same time, financing for adaptation and investments in climate resilience need a quantum leap.” (By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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Governments plan to produce double the fossil fuels in 2030 than the 1.5°C warming limit allows

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Stockholm, 8 November 2023 – A major new report published today finds that governments plan to produce around 110% more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C, and 69% more than would be consistent with 2°C.

(Press release issued by the Stockholm Environment Institute, Climate Analytics, E3G, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).)

This comes despite 151 national governments having pledged to achieve net-zero emissions and the latest forecasts which suggest global coal, oil, and gas demand will peak this decade, even without new policies. When combined, government plans would lead to an increase in global coal production until 2030, and in global oil and gas production until at least 2050, creating an ever-widening fossil fuel production gap over time. 

The report’s main findings include: 

●Given risks and uncertainties of carbon capture and storage and carbon dioxide removal, countries should aim for a near total phase-out of coal production and use by 2040, and a combined reduction in oil and gas production and use by three-quarters by 2050 from 2020 levels, at a minimum.

●While 17 of the 20 countries featured have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions — and many have launched initiatives to cut emissions from fossil fuel production activities — none have committed to reduce coal, oil, and gas production in line with limiting warming to 1.5°C.

●Governments with greater capacity to transition away from fossil fuels should aim for more ambitious reductions and help support the transition processes in countries with limited resources.

The Production Gap Report — produced by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Climate Analytics, E3G, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) — assesses governments’ planned and projected production of coal, oil, and gas against global levels consistent with the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded, and most likely the hottest for the past 120,000 years, according to scientists. Across the globe, deadly heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms, and floods are cosing lives and livelihoods, making clear that human-induced climate change is here. Global carbon dioxide emissions —almost 90% of which come from fossil fuels — rose to record highs in 2021–2022. 

“Governments’ plans to expand fossil fuel production are undermining the energy transition needed to achieve net-zero emissions, throwing humanity’s future into question,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Powering economies with clean and efficient energy is the only way to end energy poverty and bring down emissions at the same time.”

“Starting at COP28, nations must unite behind a managed and equitable phase-out of coal, oil and gas — to ease the turbulence ahead and benefit every person on this planet,” she added.

The 2023 Production Gap Report provides newly expanded country profiles for 20 major fossil-fuel-producing countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America. These profiles show that most of these governments continue to provide significant policy and financial support for fossil fuel production.

“We find that many governments are promoting fossil gas as an essential ‘transition’ fuel but with no apparent plans to transition away from it later,” says Ploy Achakulwisut, a lead author on the report and SEI scientist. “But science says we must start reducing global coal, oil, and gas production and use now — along with scaling up clean energy, reducing methane emissions from all sources, and other climate actions — to keep the 1.5°C goal alive.”

Despite being the root cause of the climate crisis, fossil fuels have remained largely absent from international climate negotiations until recent years. At COP26 in late 2021, governments committed to accelerate efforts towards “the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”, though they did not agree to address the production of all fossil fuels.

“COP28 could be the pivotal moment where governments finally commit to the phase-out of all fossil fuels and acknowledge the role producers have to play in facilitating a managed and equitable transition,” says Michael Lazarus, a lead author on the report and SEI US Centre Director. “Governments with the greatest capacities to transition away from fossil fuel production bear the greatest responsibility to do so while providing finance and support to help other countries do the same.”

More than 80 researchers, from over 30 countries, contributed to the analysis and review, spanning numerous universities, think tanks and other research organizations. 

Reactions to the 2023 Production Gap Report

“The writing’s on the wall for fossil fuels. By mid-century we need to have consigned coal to the history books, and slashed oil and gas production by at least three quarters — well on the way to a full fossil phase-out. Yet despite their climate promises, governments plan on ploughing yet more money into a dirty, dying industry, while opportunities abound in a flourishing clean energy sector. On top of economic insanity, it is a climate disaster of our own making.” – Neil Grant, Climate and Energy Analyst, Climate Analytics.

“Despite governments around the world signing up to ambitious net zero targets, global coal, oil and gas production are all still increasing while planned reductions are nowhere near enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. This widening gulf between governments’ rhetoric and their actions is not only undermining their authority but increasing the risk to us all. We are already on track this decade to produce 460% more coal, 82% more gas, and 29% more oil than would be in line with the 1.5°C warming target. Ahead of COP28, governments must look to dramatically increase transparency about how they will hit emissions targets and bring in legally binding measures to support these aims.” – Angela Picciariello, Senior Researcher, IISD.

“With demand for coal, oil and gas set to peak this decade even without additional policies, it’s clear that the new economic reality is becoming one of clean energy growth and fossil fuel decline — yet governments are failing to plan for the reality of the inevitable energy transition. Continuing investments into new fossil fuel production as global demand for coal, oil and gas narrows is a near term economic gamble for all but the cheapest producers. And climate damages will be aggravated further unless we stop fossil fuel expansion now. The time is now for governments to take control of the clean energy transition and align their policies with the reality of what’s needed for a climate-safe world.“ – Katrine Petersen, Senior Policy Advisor at E3G.

Notes to Editors 

About the Production Gap Report 

Modelled after the UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report series — and conceived as a complementary analysis — this report conveys the large discrepancy between countries’ planned fossil fuel production and the global production levels consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C and 2°C. 

About the Stockholm Environment Institute  – Stockholm Environment Institute is an independent, international research institute that has been engaged in environment and development issues at local, national, regional and global policy levels for more than a quarter of a century. SEI supports decision-making for sustainable development by bridging science and policy. 

About Climate Analytics – Climate Analytics is a global climate science and policy institute engaged around the world in driving and supporting climate action aligned to the 1.5°C warming limit. We connect science and policy to empower vulnerable countries in international climate negotiations and inform national planning with targeted research, analysis and support.

About E3G  – is an independent European climate change think tank accelerating the transition to a climate safe world. E3G is made up of world leading strategists on the political economy of climate change, dedicated to achieving a safe climate for all. E3G builds cross-sectoral coalitions to achieve carefully defined outcomes, chosen for their capacity to leverage change. E3G works closely with like-minded partners in government, politics, business, civil society, science, the media, public interest foundations and elsewhere. E3G is making the necessary possible.

About The International Institute for Sustainable Development  - The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning, independent think tank championing research-driven solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Our vision is a balanced world where people and the planet thrive; our mission is to accelerate the global transition to clean water, fair economies and a stable climate. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa and Toronto, our work impacts lives in nearly 100 countries.  

About the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP – UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. 

For more information please contact:  Ulrika Lamberth, Senior Press Officer (Stockholm, Sweden), and Lynsi Burton, Communications Officer (Seattle, US), Stockholm Environment Institute.

Keisha Rukikaire, Head of News and Media, United Nations Environment Programme (Nairobi, Kenya).

Paul May, Head of Communications, and Neil Grant, Climate and Energy Analyst, Climate Analytics (Berlin, Germany).

Aia Brnic, Senior Communication Officer, and Angela Picciariello, Senior Researcher, International Institute for Sustainable Development (Geneva, Switzerland).

Riya Amin, Junior Communications Officer, E3G (London, UK).

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Countries, coal industry urged to transition to clean energy to prevent climate catastrophe

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New York, June 15 – Countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are urged to completely phase out coal by 2030 and others by 2040 as part of global efforts to transition to renewable energy, the United Nations chief said. There are some 38 countries in the group with a majority ranked as very high-income economies.

Antonio Guterres said the climate agenda is being undermined and countries are backtracking on implementing programs to keep the planet’s temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Instead, current policies are taking the world to a 2.8-degree temperature rise by the end of the century, he said.

“That spells catastrophe,” he said after holding discussion with civil society organizations on his climate acceleration agenda. “Yet the collective response remains pitiful. We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open – with far too many willing to bet it all on wishful thinking, unproven technologies and silver bullet solutions.”

“Countries must progressively phase them out, moving to leave oil, coal and gas in the ground where they belong – and massively boost renewable investment.”

Guterres said the transition cannot happen overnight and he has put forward an Acceleration Agenda to “supercharge these efforts.”

“Transition plans are precisely to provide a roadmap for a managed, orderly process that guarantees affordability, access and energy security,” he said. The agenda calls for a complete phasing out of coal, an end to all international coal funding, both public and private, and an end to licensing or funding of new oil and gas. It alco calls for stopping the expansion of existing oil and gas, ensuring net zero electricity generation by 2035 in developed countries and 2040 everywhere else.

The fossil fuel industry and its enablers are urged “to apply its massive resources to drive, not obstruct, the global move from fossil fuels to renewables and reap the benefits.”

Guterres said the oil and gas industry reaped a record US$4 trillion windfall in net income in 2022 and only 4 cents went to clean energy and carbon capture for every dollar spent on oil and gas drilling and exploration.

“Trading the future for thirty pieces of silver is immoral,” he said. “I call on all fossil fuel companies to present credible, comprehensive and detailed new transition plans – fully in line with all the recommendations of my High-level Expert Group on net zero pledges.”

U.N. Security Council urged to take climate action

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned the 15-nation council on June 13 that action must be taken to avert ever-worsening climate change impacts on peace and security, U.N. News reported. An estimated 3.5 billion people are living in “climate hot spots,” and related peace and security risks are only set to heighten.

“Given the growing linkages of climate change, peace, and security as well as the broader changes to the conflict dynamics in the areas in which we work, we must continue to adapt,” Lacroix said.

Lacroix said the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report showed that climatic and such risks as biodiversity loss and violent conflict will increasingly interact.

Lacroix said that within the past several years, most U.N. peace operations have faced greater dangers and political challenges. Of the 16 countries that are the most climate vulnerable, nine of them host a U.N. field mission: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. Lacroix emphasized that the majority of U.N. peace operations are deployed in contexts that are both highly climate exposed and characterized by high levels of gender inequality.

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Developing countries have visionary leaders to fight climate change, U.N. official says

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New York, March 20 – Decisive political decisions are needed now in the global fight against climate change and developing countries can provide leaders to fulfil the difficult task, the head of the U.N. Development Program said following the publication of the newest scientific report on climate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“Climate change is deeply unjust,” said Achim Steiner, the administrator of UNDP which leads U.N. development activities around the globe. “Over three billion people — including some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to the current climate crisis — are disproportionally experiencing its worst effects. It is also holding back their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

“Yet developing countries are demonstrating that decisive climate action is possible. Through the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) partnerships with countries and communities across the world, we are witnessing visionary leadership.”

Sieiner said, for instance, Bhutan, Viet Nam, and India are leading on the adoption of electric vehicles. Kenya and Uruguay are now running on 90 per cent renewable energy sources. And Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries are notably taking far-reaching climate action despite a constrained fiscal space and a debt crisis

Steiner said the world has experienced extreme weather with increasing ferocity, from devastating droughts, floods to heatwaves, and “fingerprint of climate change is evident in every corner of the globe.”

“There can be no doubt that the health of people and planet hinges on decisive political action now,” he said.

IPCC’s “Climate change 2023: Synthesis Report,” which studied the science related to climate change, has provided the most comprehensive assessment of climate change in the past nine years. Steiner, like other officials, said the report is “not all gloom” and outlined “how feasible, effective, and low-cost options for climate mitigation and adaptation are already at the disposal of countries across the world.”

“For instance, that includes widespread electrification from clean energy sources, energy and materials efficiency, and the restoration of forests and other ecosystems. It also calls for an increased emphasis on reducing fluorinated gases — human-made gases used in a range of industrial applications — to drive down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change.”

The report said science is clear that keeping the planet’s temperatures at 1.5 C is feasible by implenting measures that would quickly slash carbon pollution and fossil fuel use by nearly two-thirds by 2035.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for ending new fossil fuel exploration and for rich countries to quit coal, oil and gas by 2040. Steiner said he supported Guterres’ call for the Acceleration Agenda and for immediate, strong, and sustained reductions in GHG emissions to reach global net zero by 2050.

“Indeed, the adverse impacts of climate change will increase with every fraction of a degree,” Steiner said. “Now is the time for an era of co-investment in bold solutions. As the narrow window of opportunity to stop climate change rapidly closes, the choices that governments, the private sector, and communities now make — or do not make – will go down in history.”

The U.N. has called on high-income countries to fulfil promises to provide $100 billion a year in climate finance to developing countries.

(The following is from U.N. News)

The IPCC study, “Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report”, released on Monday, March 20 “brings into sharp focus the losses and damages experienced now, and expected to continue into the future, which are hitting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems especially hard, U.N. News said.

It said temperatures have already risen to 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a consequence of more than a century of burning fossil fuels, as well as unequal and unsustainable energy and land use. This has resulted in more frequent and intense extreme weather events that have caused increasingly dangerous impacts on nature and people in every region of the world.

Climate-driven food and water insecurity is expected to grow with increased warming: when the risks combine with other adverse events, such as pandemics or conflicts, they become even more difficult to manage.

If temperatures are to be kept to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, deep, rapid, and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions will be needed in all sectors this decade, the reports states. Emissions need to go down now, and be cut by almost half by 2030, if this goal has any chance of being achieved.

The solution proposed by the IPCC is “climate resilient development,” which involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide wider benefits.

Examples include access to clean energy, low-carbon electrification, the promotion of zero and low carbon transport, and improved air quality: the economic benefits for people’s health from air quality improvements alone would be roughly the same, or possibly even larger, than the costs of reducing or avoiding emissions

“The greatest gains in wellbeing could come from prioritizing climate risk reduction for low-income and marginalized communities, including people living in informal settlements,” said Christopher Trisos, one of the report’s authors. “Accelerated climate action will only come about if there is a many-fold increase in finance. Insufficient and misaligned finance is holding back progress.”

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3.6 billion people face water shortage a month per year under climate change: U.N.

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Geneva/New York, November 29 – An estimated 3.6 billion people currently have inadequate access to fresh water at least a month per year and that number will increase to more than 5 billion by 2050, the World Meteorological Organization said in its first ever State of Global Water Resources report.

The report said large areas of the globe were drier than normal in 2021 as climate change and La Nina effects severely influenced normal precipitation patterns. The areas in the world with below average streamflow were about twice larger than those with above average.

The report said 74 per cent of all natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related. With water shortage becoming a major global issue, the recent climate change summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, has decided for the first time to call on governments to further integrate water into their national climate adaptation efforts.

See report: State of Global Water Resources report

Professor Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of WMO, said, “The impacts of climate change are often felt through water – more intense and frequent droughts, more extreme flooding, more erratic seasonal rainfall and accelerated melting of glaciers – with cascading effects on economies, ecosystems and all aspects of our daily lives. And yet, there is insufficient understanding of changes in the distribution, quantity, and quality of freshwater resources.”

“The State of Global Water Resources report aims to fill that knowledge gap and provide a concise overview of water availability in different parts of the world. This will inform climate adaptation and mitigation investments as well as the United Nations campaign to provide universal access in the next five years to early warnings of hazards such as floods and droughts,” he said.

Csaba Kőrösi,President of the U.N. General Assembly, welcomed the first report saying that it “fills an important knowledge gap, supporting the assessment of effects of climate, environmental and societal change on the Earth’s water resources. It confirms that the conception and sustainable implementation of resilient food and energy systems is possible based on informed scientific analysis. Knowing how much water is available where and when is key to water security as well as a catalyzer of cooperation.”

WMO said in a press release that its first edition of the global report looks at streamflow – the volume of water flowing through a river channel at any given time. It also assesses terrestrial water storage – all water on the land surface and sub-surface and the cryosphere (frozen water).

The press release said information and accompanying maps are largely based on modelled data (to achieve maximum geographical coverage) and remotely sensed information from NASA’s GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) mission for terrestrial water storage. The modelled results were validated against observed data, wherever available).

The report highlights the lack of accessible verified hydrological data. WMO’s Unified Data Policy seeks to accelerate the availability and sharing of hydrological data, including river discharge and transboundary river basins information.

(Following are excerpts from the press release)

Streamflow

Large areas of the globe recorded dryer than normal conditions in 2021, compared to the average of the 30-year hydrological base period.

These areas included South America’s Rio de la Plata area, where a persistent drought has affected the region since 2019, the South and South-East Amazon, and basins in North America including the Colorado, Missouri and Mississippi river basins.

In Africa, rivers such as the Niger, Volta, Nile and Congo had less than normal discharge in 2021. Similarly, rivers in parts of Russia, West Siberia and in Central Asia had lower than average discharge in 2021.

There was above normal river discharge in some Northern American basins, the North Amazon and Southern Africa (Zambezi and Orange), as well as China (the Amur river basin) and northern India.

Approximately one third of the areas analysed was in line with the 30-year average.

Significant flood events with numerous casualties were reported, among others, from China (Henan province), northern India, western Europe, and countries impacted by tropical cyclones, such as Mozambique, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have faced several consecutive years with below-average rainfall causing a regional drought.

Terrestrial water storage

Terrestrial water storage is all water on the land surface and in the subsurface.

In 2021, terrestrial water storage was classified as below normal (in comparison to average calculated from 2002-2020) on the West coast of the USA, in the central part of South America and Patagonia, North Africa and Madagascar, Central Asia and the Middle East, Pakistan and North India.

It was above normal in the central part of Africa, the northern part of South America, specifically the Amazon basin, and the northern part of China.

On a longer-term basis, the report pointed out several hotspots with a negative trend in terrestrial water storage. These include Brazil’s Rio São Francisco basin, Patagonia, the Ganges and Indus headwaters, as well as south-western USA.

In contrast, the Great Lakes Region exhibits a positive anomaly, as does the Niger basin, East African Rift and North Amazon basin.

Overall, the negative trends are stronger than the positive ones. Some of the hotspots are exacerbated by over-abstraction of groundwater for irrigation. The melting of snow and ice also has a significant impact in several areas including Alaska, Patagonia and the Himalayas.

The Cryosphere

The cryosphere (glaciers, snow cover, ice caps and, where present, permafrost) is the world’s biggest natural reservoir of freshwater. Mountains are often called natural “water towers” because they are the source of rivers and freshwater supplies for an estimated 1.9 billion people.

Changes to cryosphere water resources affect food security, human health, ecosystem integrity and maintenance, and leads to significant impacts on economic and social development. Such changes also cause hazards such as river flooding and flash floods due to glacier lake outbursts.

With rising temperatures, the annual glacier run-off typically increases at first, until a turning point, often called ”peak water”, is reached, upon which run-off declines. The long-term projections of the changes in glacier run-off and the timing of peak water are key inputs to long-term adaptation decisions.

Future assessments in the WMO State of Global Water Resources will provide the incentive to regularly assess changes in the cryosphere and the variability of water resources, at basin and regional level.

Media contact: Clare Nullis, WMO media officer, cnullis@wmo.int. Tel +41-79 709 13 97

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U.N. climate summit strikes deal to pay poor countries hit by climate disasters

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Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 20 – The climate change summit has agreed to set up a fund to compensate vulnerable countries hit by climate disasters, a deal the U.N. said is a step towards justice for victims of climate change.

The summit attended by some 200 governments and international organizations ended on overtime in the Egyptian resort with a final document that disappointed climate activists, particularly regarding the issues of fossil fuels use and rising atmospheric temperatures.

“This COP has taken an important step towards justice,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, referring to the 27^th Conference of Parties on climate change. “I welcome the decision to establish a loss and damage fund and to operationalize it in the coming period.”

But Guterres said, “Clearly this will not be enough, but it is a much-needed political signal to rebuild broken trust.”

Expressing his disappointment, Guterres pointed out that the final document left critical climate issues untouched.

“We need to drastically reduce emissions now – and this is an issue this COP did not address,” he said.

Negotiators at the summit under the Egyptian presidency adopted the deal known as loss and damage sought by poor countries to get developed nations, including the biggest carbon polluters like China and the United States, to pay for damage caused by floodings, wildfires and the likes.

But details of the agreement to create a fund for loss and damage such as which countries and how much will they contribute to the fund remain to be sort out at future talks.

The agreement on the loss and damage program helped the two-week long summit to adopt a final document on climate change. The loss and damage program and creation of a new financial facility to compensate for climate disasters were key demands of developing countries.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, president of the climate meeting, said decisions taken by negotiators before they adopted the final document were “a gateway that will scale up implementation and will enable us to transform to future of climate future neutrality and climate resilient development.”

“I call upon all of you to view these draft decisions not merely as words on paper but as a collective message to the world that we have heeded the call of our leaders and of current and future generations to set the right pace and direction for the implementation of the Paris agreement and the achievement of its goals.”

“The world is watching, I call on us all to rise to the expectations entrusted to us by the global community, and especially by those who are most vulnerable and yet have contributed the least to climate change.”

Negotiators concluded the meeting with the adoption of the loss and damage facility with a commitment to financially support vulnerable countries by the next climate summit in 2023 as well as the post-2025 financial goal for mitigation work program to reduce emissions faster, catalyze impactful action, and secure assurances from key countries that they will take immediate action to raise ambition and keep us on the path towards 1.5 degrees Celsius.

When the summit opened on November 6, it was strongly urged to implement programs agreed at previous meetings such as reduce emissions and finance projects to help countries adapt to climate consequences.

The U.N. said over 40,000 people have registered to attend, including government officials of the 197 countries that signed the UNFCCC, businesses, non-government organizations and civil society groups. The U.N. said COP27 programs include finance, science, youth and future generations, decarbonization, adaptation and agriculture, gender, water, energy, biodiversity and solutions.

At the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, governments agreed to act on climate plans agreed upon at the Paris conference in 2015, which called for limiting atmospheric warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the centuryand for developed countries to provide $100 billion a year to assist developing countries.

But a study published by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on October 26 said plans submitted by countries to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to earth warming, have failed their targets and temperatures may rise to at least 2.5 C, a level deemed catastrophic.

(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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U.N. climate summit needs extra time to work on final document

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Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 18 – The annual climate change summit attended by some 200 governments and international organizations failed to agree on a final document as it was closing and would need more time, the president of the meeting said citing outstanding climate-related issues.

The 27th Conference of the Parties (November 6-18) at the Egyptian resort city will close one day later than expected after calling on negotiators to “shift gears” so an agreement can be reached on the remaining sticking points, U.N. News reported.

“I remain concerned at the number of outstanding issues, including on finance mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and their inter linkages,” COP27 President, Sameh Shoukry, told delegates at the Sharm el-Sheik International Convention Centre.

U.N. News said Secretary-General António Guterres held separate intensive talks with members of the European Union and the Group of 77 and China, which groups developing countries, to spur negotiations on the final text.

“As the negotiations draw to a close, the Secretary-General urges parties to aim for maximum ambition on loss and damage and in reduction of emissions,” the U.N. leaders said in a note issued in Sharm el-Sheikh by his spokesperson.

The document under negotiations reaffirmed the 1.5-degree Celsius target to curb global warming and welcomes reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It also called for “deep, rapid emission cuts” as well as an acceleration of clean energy transitions in the 2020s.

The document also keeps language reached at the 2021 climate summit in Glasgow on “phasing down coal power” and calls on parties to “rationalise fossil fuel subsidies” and urges new climate action national plans by 2023, UN News said. The document welcomes the loss and damage agenda item, but it does not mention the creation or a funding facility.

The European Union has presented an official proposal for creating a loss and damage fund, sparking hope for what some delegations from developing countries said might be a “breakthrough.”

As the negotiations on the final document dragged on and appeared to miss the deadline on closing date, Guterres said, “There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger-pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction.”

“The world is watching and has a simple message: stand and deliver,” Guterres said at the conference center.

Guterres said in a message at the opening of COP27 that the last eight years have been the warmest on record, “making every heatwave more intense and life-threatening, especially for vulnerable populations.”

Citing a report by the World Meteorological Organization, he said, “Sea levels are rising at twice the speed of the 1990s – posing an existential threat for low-lying island states, and threatening billions of people in coastal regions. Glacier melt records are themselves melting away – jeopardizing water security for whole continents.”

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U.N. challenges developed countries to lead fight against climate change

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Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 7 – Making a bold move, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres proposed a historic Climate Solidarity Pact in which countries can cooperate to reduce emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Guterres challenged rich countries to lead the fight against climate change, urging China and the United States, the world’s biggest emitters, to join and assume their own particular responsibility to make the pact a reality.

To limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, the world must achieve global net zero emissions by 2050, he said, but added that the 1.5-degree goal is now on “life support” and the world is close to the point of no return. He called on all G20, which groups the developing and emerging countries, to accelerate their transition to clean energy this decade to avoid that fate.

“Developed countries must take the lead,” he said in an address to the Leaders at COP27. “But emerging economies are also critical to bending the global emissions curve.”

“I am calling for a historic Pact between developed and emerging economies – a Climate Solidarity Pact.” he said.

He said the pact will allow “all countries to make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal. Wealthier countries and International Financial Institutions provide financial and technical assistance to help emerging economies speed their own renewable energy transition.”

The pact aims at “ending dependence on fossil fuels and the building of coal plants – phasing out coal in OECD countries by 2030 and everywhere else by 2040.”

The pact will “provide universal, affordable, sustainable energy for all” and “in which developed and emerging economies unite around a common strategy and combine capacities and resources for the benefit of humankind.”

Loss and damage

For the first time the issue of loss and damage payments has been added to the agenda of a COP summit following negotiations by the Group of 77 (countries) and China, a move demanded by developing countries and supported by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)

Developing and vulnerable countries have suffered the worst impacts of climate change and have demanded developed countries, which are responsible for the worst emissions, to pay for those damages.

“Loss and damage has to be credibly addressed and the time has come for us to do so. The real test will be the quality of the discussions. The judgement will be based on the quality of the outcome,” Simon Stiell, head of the U.N. Climate Change, said after COP27 included the item on the agenda of work.

(By J.Tuyet Nguyen)

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Climate change summit in Egypt urged to take urgent action

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Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 6 – The climate summit opening in the famed Egyptian tourist city of Sharm el-Sheikh is strongly urged to implement programs agreed at previous meetings such as reduce emissions and finance projects to help countries adapt to climate consequences.

The U.N. said over 30,000 people have registered to attend the summit running from November 6 to 18 at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre. They include government officials of the 197 countries that signed the UNFCCC, businesses, non-government organizations and civil society groups. The U.N. said COP27 programs include finance, science, youth and future generations, decarbonization, adaptation and agriculture, gender, water, energy, biodiversity and solutions.

This year’s high-level meeting is known as the 27^thConference of the Parties, or COP27. At the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, governments agreed to act on climate plans agreed upon at the Paris conference in 2015, which called for limiting atmospheric warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the centuryand for developed countries to provide $100 billion a year to assist developing countries.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message to the opening of COP27 that the last eight years have been the warmest on record, “making every heatwave more intense and life-threatening, especially for vulnerable populations.”

“People and communities everywhere must be protected from the immediate and ever-growing risks of the climate emergency. That is why we are pushing so hard for universal early warning systems within five years. We must answer the planet’s distress signal with action — ambitious, credible climate action. COP27 must be the place – and now must be the time.”

A report issued by the U.N. Environment Program – Adaptation Gap Report 2022 – ahead of COP27 called for increasing funding and implementing programs devised to assist vulnerable countries and communities deal with climate emergencies. It estimated annual funding at between $160 billion and $340 billion by 2030 and $565 billion by 2050.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said, “Climate change is landing blow after blowupon humanity, as we saw throughout 2022: most viscerally in the floods that put much of Pakistan under water. The world must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the impacts of climate change. But we must also urgently increase efforts to adapt to the impacts that are already here and those to come.”

World Health Organization: climate crisis spread diseases

WHO said health must be front and center of COP27 because the climate crisis continues to cause sickness and jeopardize lives and that health must be at the core of critical climate negotiations. It called on the summit to conclude with progress on the four key goals of mitigation, adaptation, financing and collaboration to tackle the climate crisis.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. “Climate change is making millions of people sick or more vulnerable to disease all over the world and the increasing destructiveness of extreme weather events disproportionately affects poor and marginalized communities. It is crucial that leaders and decision makers come together at COP27 to put health at the heart of the negotiations.”

WHO said climate change is expected to cause approximately 250.000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress between 2030 and 2050.

It said the direct damage costs to health (excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation), is estimated at between $2 and $4 billion per year by 2030.

(By J.Tuyet Nguyen)

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