COP28 Prez Seeks Unity To Tackle Climate Crisis

All countries must show solidarity to tackle the climate crisis as "too many things" are "dividing the world at the moment", Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), president-designate of the upcoming United Nations climate summit, urged on Monday.

- Jayashree Nandi

There is a need to unite on climate and deliver a message of hope, solidarity, stability and prosperity, said Al Jaber, group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. His comments came against the backdrop of Israel's expansion of its ground offensive in Gaza amid the bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The two-week 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Dubai from November 30. The UAE holds the presidency of COP28, where parties denote nations that are signatories to the convention.

The escalating conflict in West Asia has cast a shadow on COP28. A consensus was expected at the conference on reducing emissions by at least 43% in the next seven years to achieve the goal of the 2015 Paris climate pact, when all nations agreed to contain global temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius and make efforts to keep it within 1.5 degrees compared with pre-industrial times.

The proximity of COP28's venue to the conflict zone, however, has led to uncertainty over consensus-building efforts.

Al Jaber called for the need to how the international community can deliver and send a signal that keeps limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees within reach. "Let this process prove that multilateralism still works. I believe we can fulfil our responsibility," Al Jaber said in his opening remarks at the pre-COP28 meeting in Abu Dhabi. Around 100 delegations and 70 ministers are attending the Abu Dhabi conference.

Authorities in the UAE were appalled by the escalating conflict in the region, an official said last week on condition of anonymity. "We are working with our international partners to push for de-escalation of tensions," he said.