The Global Stocktake at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates this December will evaluate the progress made by the international Paris Agreement on climate change and what more needs to be done to accelerate climate action. However, it is no secret that the world is far off track, and the most vulnerable countries are already disproportionately feeling the consequences. Extreme weather events have affected countries such as South Sudan, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Vanuatu, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, leaving millions of people facing severe food insecurity and devastating impacts on their lives.
To achieve true progress on climate action, climate justice and equity must become central to international climate negotiations. The ACT2025 consortium, a group of think tanks from vulnerable developing countries striving for greater climate ambition in climate action that delivers fair and just outcomes for communities on the front lines of climate impacts, has recently released a Call to Action outlining four demands for greater climate action by COP28.
Their demands include advancing ambition to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C, driving climate adaptation that puts people first, building new institutions to address loss and damage, and ensuring adequate financing to support a just transition. For example, in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C and triple renewable power capacity by 2030, G-7 and G-20 economies, which represent the world’s highest greenhouse gas emitters, must set ambitious and detailed climate commitments. In addition, all countries need to speed up and scale up their adaptation investments while minimizing unintended impacts.
Lastly, the establishment of a dedicated fund and broader funding arrangements to address loss and damage is essential to supporting developing countries impacted by severe damage from climate change. The resulting agreement at COP28 must ensure new, additional, predictable, accessible, adequate, and rapid finance to respond to loss and damage while operating in line with equity and fairness considerations. Failure to agree on the elements for operationalization of the fund would be a disservice to all the countries and communities at the frontline of climate impacts.