Rarely have the omens for a UN climate conference been as difficult as this year. World politics have gotten out of hand, and the summit is also being held in the fossil world power Dubai, chaired by the head of the state oil company Adnoc, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber. The expectations of the Minister of the Environment are accordingly moderate.
“I am realistic: ambitious agreements will not be easy this year,” says Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), who will travel to the United Arab Emirates on December 7 for the crucial week of negotiations during COP 28. However, Gewessler still has some heap.
Renewable energy and more efficiency
“It is possible that more will be achieved than expected,” she said, adding she is confident in the faster expansion of renewable energy sources and the new energy efficiency target. These efforts have already been announced by COP President al-Jaber. Global production is expected to triple by 2030 and energy efficiency is also expected to double by then.
“Stop doing the wrong thing”
“We must not only do the right thing, but also stop doing the wrong thing,” the minister says when it comes to phasing out climate-damaging fossil fuels. Here she does not believe in a decision for a radical exit (“phase out”) in Dubai. That would be a ‘surprise’, but Austria would still be campaigning for an end to ‘fossils’.
Damage and loss fund: Austria with 50 million euros
The other areas of focus are ‘Global Inventory’ and ‘Loss and Damage Fund’. The details of the fund had already been worked out after the previous COP in Egypt, so there would be a basis for an agreement in Dubai, Gewessler says. One should not get lost in further details, an early decision “is extremely important here”. Austria announced a contribution of 50 million euros last year.
First “Global Inventory”
The first ‘Global Inventory’, as a central part of the Paris Agreement, aims to review previous efforts to limit temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5 degrees through emissions reduction, adaptation and financing.
Funds and inventory are two difficult topics “that are central to our work,” says new Austrian delegation leader Cornelia Jäger.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
