COP28 climate summit begins in UAE; 2023 declared as the hottest year

New Delhi: The COP28 summit addressing climate change has commenced in Dubai, marked by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, declaring 2023 as the hottest year on record.

Guterres emphasized that the current situation reflects "climate collapse in real time" and urged global leaders to take immediate action.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will represent India at the meeting and will reach Dubai tonight along with a high-level Indian team where he is supposed to address the Summit tomorrow, December 1. 

The Prime Minister will also have several bilateral meetings with the leaders of other countries and attend at least three high-level events, two initiated by India.

The World Meteorological Organization reported a virtual certainty that 2023 has broken the global temperature record, raising concerns that 2024 could be even warmer due to the El Niño weather system. Guterres highlighted record-high sea levels, sea surface temperatures, and a record-low sea-ice level in Antarctica during his speech.

Hosted by the United Arab Emirates, a major oil-producing nation, the summit is overseen by oil executive Sultan al-Jaber. In his opening address, Jaber stressed the need for this summit to fulfil promises, including a $100 billion fund to aid developing countries in coping with climate change.

Despite rising greenhouse gas emissions, scientists emphasize the necessity to nearly halve them within the next seven years to avert catastrophic changes. Current policies, if unchanged, predict more extreme heatwaves, rainfall, and rising sea levels.

The leaders of the world's largest emitters, the US and China, are absent from the summit. This year's COP28 introduces the "global stocktake," where countries assess their progress toward curbing global warming, setting the stage for future climate actions. Each country sets its targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement, with this stocktake influencing their emissions-cutting goals for the next few years.

An early UN stocktake assessment revealed significant delays in meeting climate goals, emphasizing the need for comprehensive action. Despite increased commitments since the Paris Agreement, current emissions plans are projected to lead to a global warming of at least 2.5°C. The global average temperature has already risen by 1.2°C since pre-industrial times.

Before the stocktake, disagreements among countries persist over plans, including commitments to phase out fossil fuels, end investments in new coal power plants, or triple renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade.

Delegates at COP28 will decide whether the stocktake should recommend specific actions for sectors like energy or manufacturing. The European Union advocates for "concrete policy signals," while some developing countries focus on pressuring wealthy nations to do more due to historical emissions.

Leaders from various countries, including the UK, the European Commission, and Israel, are attending the summit. However, notable leaders like Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are expected to send high-level representatives, and Pope Francis has cancelled his attendance due to health concerns. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to attend and may have sideline discussions on the release of hostages and the current situation in Gaza.