COP28 and beyond through Simon Stiell lens
Diana Kibuuka
“…………On this front, COP28 delivered some serious strides forward.Progress has been made; Tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency; Operationalizing the loss and damage fund, and making an initial – an initial – down payment; A framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation………. I will just say the many initiatives announced here are climate action lifelines, not the finish line – Whilst we didn’t fully turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this is clearly the beginning of the end”. Those are some of the lines from the COP 28closing remarks of Simon Stiell the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Question and AnswerSession
Q: Do you trulybelieve with all the science you know of and all the expertise from the UN, that this is enough to keep us below 1.7?
A: This keeps 1.5 alive but only if all countries, allactors within this fulfill their commitments and follow the prescriptions that are laid out, both in terms of the response to the Global Stocktake, which
highlights all of the elements, all of the tools that enable us to close that gap and ensure that 1.5 is reached.
Q: With reference towhat you said the first day, would you say this baby is toddling, walking, or
running?
A: Well as I said inside in terms of rating this, we neededa green light, we’ve got an amber light. So there’s still a great deal of work to be done, but there are paths forward. There are signals, very very clear signals for how we must move forward.
Q: Thank you for allthe work that you’ve done. With now the elephant in the room being tackled – or beginning to tackle the elephant in the room. How committed is the UNFCCC to work with other parties from next COP and on, especially on financing?
A: We have a guiding star, guiding principles laid out inthe Paris Agreement. And our role is to be the steward and the custodian to ensure that those terms – the direction that is given – is carried out, working with all Parties to ensure they fulfill their commitments and their contribution
to climate action.
Q: Can we talk aboutconsensus, when a group was not in the room?
A: There were no objections to what was discussed, soagreement has been reached.
“The COP28 agreementis a floor, not a ceiling. We must ramp up ambition and climate action.”