Dubai, Dec 3: The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12 is marking new progress on combating climate change.
The summit brought together representatives from nearly 200 countries to discuss and negotiate measures to address climate change.
The key outcomes of COP28 so far include:
Renewed commitment to the Paris Agreement Parties reaffirmed their commitment to the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
Progress on adaptation: Parties made progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation, which aims to significantly increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate change impacts by 2030.
Increased focus on methane emissions: Parties recognized the importance of reducing methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, and welcomed the pledge by 50 oil and gas companies to bring their methane emissions from early-stage operations down to near-zero by 2030.
Enhanced finance for climate action: Parties agreed to establish a new global climate finance mechanism to support developing countries in their transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies.
In addition to these key outcomes, COP28 also saw a number of other important discussions and announcements, including:
The launch of the Global Stocktake: The Global Stocktake is a process that will assess progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and identify areas for further action.
The establishment of a high-level expert group on climate action: The expert group will provide advice to the UNFCCC on how to accelerate climate action.
The announcement of new climate commitments by countries and businesses: A number of countries and businesses made new commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in climate action.
