COP28: A mixed week in Dubai
Despite many positive signals from the political announcements and pledges on nature, forests, mangroves, food and fossil fuels, the progress in the negotiations has not indicated we are going to land the ambitious outcome we desperately need at COP28.
By Dr Rhiannon Niven, Senior Policy Manager – Climate & Energy
Here in Dubai, we’re pausing to reflect on progress so far and what is still needed to achieve our aim to put nature at the heart of climate action.
As over 90,000 delegates rolled into Dubai for COP28, we were greeted with the sheer scale of the Expo City COP venue. As delegates get in their daily steps in crossing the site, we hope that the world leaders, Ministers and negotiators realise the scale of action needed.
So far, despite many positive signals from the political announcements and pledges on nature, forests, mangroves, food and fossil fuels, the progress in the negotiations has not indicated we are going to land the ambitious outcome we desperately need.
After a positive start including a breakthrough deal to adopt a new loss and damage fund that was agreed at COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, things have gone downhill. Progress has been slow, full of disagreement on text and direction, and there has been a lack of consensus around mitigation, adaptation, and food and agriculture negotiation agendas. The technical negotiators will be looking to the Ministers arriving this week to make progress and deliver the diplomacy needed to land decisions.
BirdLife International has been focusing on negotiators to put nature at the heart of a strong outcome of the Global Stocktake, which is an integral part of the Paris Agreement and shows the world how we are progressing to keep 1.5°C alive. So far, the nature, biodiversity and ecosystem language doesn’t reflect what is needed and is missing the integral link to reflect the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework or the need to establish a new work programme for nature.
We will continue to work with our friends, allies and Parties (a special shout out to Colombia and Germany with their ministerial event on nature for climate action) championing nature to deliver on this critical opportunity to change the course and increase ambition for climate, nature and people. We’ll be holding the world’s ministers to account and watching to make sure they turn the nice pledges into real decisions and action.
Negotiations here in Dubai are not proceeding at pace. Parties must seize this opportunity to put nature at the heart of climate action. The Global Stocktake must include a reference to the Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties must commit to tripling our renewable energy targets while phasing out fossil fuels.
Nina Mikander, Global Director of Policy, BirdLife International