The ‘Loss and Damage’ fund sprang into life on the final day of COP27 last year. It remained an idea until COP28 when it received some more focused attention, negotiated agreements about exactly how it would work, and its first cash pledges. We prayed specifically for the ‘Loss and Damage’ fund on Day 2 (1 Dec) and about finance and partnership on Day 5 (4 Dec). We should rejoice and thank God that the Loss and Damages fund is now a going concern. “COP28 saw a landmark agreement to support vulnerable nations facing the worst of climate change’s impacts. These can include: “the development of national response plans; addressing insufficient climate information and data, and promoting equitable, safe and dignified human mobility in the form of displacement, relocation, and migration, in cases of temporary and permanent loss and damage.” A geographically diverse board will be established, and the fund will be initially managed by the World Bank. The first pledges from wealthy nations were made in Dubai to support the fund and currently total over $650 million” (Froom Forbes).
On the very final day of COP28 one of its most momentous agreements was signed. It is worth noting the big oil companies and oil-exporting countries - including UAE, the host of COP28 - had not until then made any commitment at all about reducing the world’s dependency on fossil fuels. But given that low starting point, a very significant step forward has been made. However, it is not the statement that many were hoping for. “It is disappointing that the COP 28 formal decision falls short of an explicit call for a full phase out of fossil fuels, as the science demonstrates is crucial to achieving the Paris Agreement goals [i.e. to keep the temperature increase to 1.5º]. Equally, the text still includes loopholes countries might use to avoid or delay action to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, such as the qualifier 'inefficient' and the vague 'as soon as possible' timeline. Nonetheless, phasing out of fossil fuels now has unstoppable momentum. The recognition of equity requires developed countries both to reduce production and consumption fastest, and to provide substantial support to enable poorer countries' differentiated just transitions” (International Institute of Sustainable Development)
Global Justice Now in Scotland have begun a petition calling for a Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty - i.e. a proper commitment to phasing out fossil fuels. You can sign their petition here.
If you want to know more about Global Justice Now’s demands for a global exit plan, and how you can get involved in making it a reality, join their online event ‘Winning a fossil-free future: The international fight against fossil fuels and the case for a global exit plan’ on 22 January.
COP28 saw the first Global Stocktake since the Paris agreement in 2015. This made it arguably the most important COP since Paris - which would probably make it the second most important COP ever. The Paris Agreement set the world’s understanding of the implications of global warming unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves and rainfall, and set 1.5oC as the target by the end of this century. The global Stocktake is a periodic process of checking country’s contributions to tackling climate change. The Global Stocktake pointed forward to the fossil fuels reduction targets. It also called on all nations to contribute to a tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling of the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. A criticism though (and a bit of an emerging theme) is that the text of the stocktake is weak. It, is not requiring specific action and has no mechanism to enforce compliance.
It was hoped that the Global Goal on Adaptation: a mechanism to protect vulnerable people and ecosystems, would get some concrete agreements and funding. Sadly it didn’t.
After a tricky start at COP28 some useful agreements were made on a Just Transition to low carbon economies and technologies. See our prayers on Day 6 (5 Dec). In many ways this is a labour movement consideration: people should not simply lose their jobs because they work in high carbon industries; economies of the global south should be helped to transition away from their dependence on high carbon industries. The agreements were a real step forward: going beyond financial measures to include patent and license restrictions and tax and trade.
