COP28 has come to a close in Dubai, with close to 200 world leaders agreeing to what has been described as a ‘historic package’ of measures to ensure the target of 1.5C remains a possibility.
“We have delivered a paradigm shift that has the potential to redefine our economies,” commented COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber. All eyes will now be on COP29 next year to see how this can be built on.
Here’s how world leaders and leading sustainability advocates viewed the announcement:
António Guterres, UN secretary general
COP28 occurred at a decisive moment in the fight against climate change. It’s important that the outcome of the Global Stocktake clearly reaffirms the need for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C & that this requires drastic reductions in emissions in this decade.
For the first time, there is a recognition of the need to transition away from fossil fuels – after many years in which the discussion of this issue was blocked.
Simon Stiell, executive secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
COP28 needed to signal a hard stop to fossil fuels and their planet-burning pollution.
We didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era, but this is clearly the beginning of the end. We must get on with the job of putting the Paris Agreement fully to work.
Dr Sultan al-Jaber, COP28 president
We delivered world first after world first.
A global goal to triple renewables and double energy efficiency. Declarations on agriculture, food and health. More oil and gas companies stepping up for the first time on methane and emissions. And we have language on fossil fuels in our final agreement.
Wopke Hoekstra, EU climate commissioner
The world just adopted a historic decision at COP28 to set in motion an irreversible, accelerated transition away from fossil fuels.
With that, we have achieved what we set out to do: keep 1.5 within reach and mark the beginning of the end of fossil fuels.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission
Congratulations COP28! A crucial part of this historic deal is truly made in Europe.
The whole world endorsed our 2030 targets:
– to triple renewable energy
– to double energy efficiency, both by 2030
Today’s agreement marks the beginning of the post-fossil era.
Al Gore, chair and co-founder of Generation Investment Management, Climate Reality founder, ClimateTRACE co-founder
The decision at COP28 to finally recognize that the climate warming crisis is, at its heart, a fossil fuel crisis is an important milestone. But it is also the bare minimum we need and is long overdue. The influence of petrostates is still evident in the half measures and loopholes included in the final agreement.
Fossil fuel interests went all out to control the outcome, but the passionate work of millions of climate activists around the world inspired and motivated delegates from many nations to loosen the industry’s grip.
Whether this is a turning point that truly marks the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era depends on the actions that come next and the mobilization of finance required to achieve them.
We must ask ourselves how much longer will the world have wait before all nations summon the political will to overcome these narrow special interests and act on behalf of the future of humanity. It is up to all of us to hold our leaders accountable to their promise to transition away from fossil fuels once and for all.
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, chairman of Arctic Circle
Never before has a COP declaration dared to address oil and gas. Not Paris. Not the others. In the new draft we have a clearer statement than anyone expected was possible a few days ago. Will COP28 be historic?!
Mary Robinson, chair of The Elders
The COP28 agreement, while signalling the need to bring about the end of the fossil fuel era, falls short by failing to commit to a full fossil fuel phase out.
If 1.5°C is our ‘North Star’, and science our compass, we must swiftly phase out all fossil fuels to chart a course towards a liveable future. To fail to keep global warming’s increase below 1.5°C has catastrophic implications for the most vulnerable communities and countries.
At a time of profound global challenges, that nations have managed to salvage enough common ground in Dubai to keep the climate action process moving forward is notable. Progress on loss and damage and tripling renewable energy demonstrate the vital role of multilateralism in addressing the climate change crisis. However, at COP28 transparency, equity and climate justice have been undermined by misleading language, false solutions and game-playing. Furthermore, the final agreement lacks the critical financial keys to unlock the trillions of dollars needed for any just transition. Without providing the necessary means for implementation we doom those countries on the frontlines of the climate emergency to failure.
Climate action must not cease because the gavel has come down on COP28. World leaders must continue to urgently pull together and find ways forward to tackle this existential threat. Every day of delay condemns millions to an uninhabitable world.
Wanjira Mathai, managing director for Africa and global partnerships at World Resources Institute
With COP28 now behind us, we must acknowledge the effort it took to recover and secure this consensus. For vulnerable countries and Small Island States – this IS a matter of life and death and cannot continue to be a gamble. Trust continues to be on the line.
Focus must now shift to action, local action. Governments must deliver on promises to safeguard lives and livelihoods.
There has been progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation framework, but without concrete steps for practical action, accountability and finance, these will be empty words.
The critical signal on fossil fuels transition is historic and now countries must chart actionable and viable pathways to net zero and integrate them into their national climate plans. Finance for renewable energy in developing countries is crucial to set this transition in motion.
So much to reflect on in the days and weeks ahead and the road to COP29.
