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At the Ministerial on Climate Action taking place in Brussels, a significant climate speech was delivered by UAE’s COP28 President Designate, Sultan Al Jaber, indicating a fresh approach for the imminent conference. Co-hosted by the EU, China, and Canada, the meeting brought together influential figures working to combat climate change. This original story has been adapted from a news article on the official COP28 website.

Sultan Al Jaber, with only months remaining until the all-important COP28, presented an ambitious vision for the conference, delineating four pivotal areas to address: accelerating the transition, rectifying climate finance, concentrating on people, their lives and livelihoods, and ensuring full inclusivity throughout all these measures.

Al-Jaber has called upon Barbara Creecy, South Africa’s Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, and Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, to carry out political consultations on crucial aspects relating to the results of the initial Global Stocktake at COP28. As a review mechanism of the Paris Agreement progress, the Global Stocktake provides governments with the chance to articulate revolutionary plans to recalibrate global climate action during COP28.

Tom Evans, a Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics Policy Advisor at E3G, responded positively to Al Jaber’s speech. He commended the UAE for addressing feedback and outlining a clear vision for COP28. Evans expressed hope that final COP28 agreements would commit to phasing out fossil fuels, tripling renewables, fast-tracking the financial system’s reformation to allocate funds for mitigation and adaptation, and creating an operative fund for loss and damage.

Alex Scott, the Programme Lead on Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics at E3G, also expressed optimism about the vision set forth by Al-Jaber. He underscored the vital task that global leaders have in leveraging COP28 to alter the direction of climate change policy. With the advent of the first Global Stocktake, he deemed it essential for leaders to emerge from COP28 prepared to adjust all their policies – covering energy, finance, and climate impact mitigation strategies.

Scott identified a few gaps in Al-Jaber’s speech, specifically pointing out the lingering question of responsibility for scope 3 emissions from the oil and gas industry. He further emphasized the need for swift pledges to address these gaps in loss and damage funding.

Offering a perspective from the energy front, Lisa Fischer, Programme Lead on Climate Neutral Energy Systems at E3G, pointed out that while setting renewable energy and efficiency targets would be a significant achievement for the UAE, the country also needs to address the reduction of fossil fuel usage. She underscored that fossil fuel usage is set to peak before the next decade’s midpoint, a transition that could be hastened with increased climate action.

Fischer believes that the UAE has an opportunity and an obligation to broker a deal that supports an orderly transition from fossil fuels.

The journey to COP28 is gaining momentum, and the UAE’s guidance will play a pivotal role in shaping the discourse and outcomes. With less than five months to go, all eyes will be on these significant players as they work towards a transformative agenda for the planet’s future.