COP28 president-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber announced a four-pillar action plan to fast-track a responsible energy transition, fix climate finance, focus on people, lives and livelihoods in adaptation efforts, and make COP fully inclusive.
Addressing the Ministerial on Climate Action in Brussels on Thursday, convened by the environment ministers of the European Union, Canada, and China, Dr Al Jaber said it was time to challenge financial models built for the last century and break down silos in industries and governments that slow down progress to a low-carbon economy, said a press release.
“We need to bridge divides that are blocking critical breakthroughs,” said Dr. Al Jaber as he outlined his plan of action for this year’s UN climate conference in the UAE.
This plan is guided by a single north star and that is keeping 1.5 within reach. The plan includes tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, deploying technologies for hard-to-abate industries and launching critical dialogues with multinational organizations.
Al Jaber said, “This plan came from listening to and engaging with all of you... and can only be realized BY all of you. The key to its success rests on what YOU do next.”
“I challenge you to act in solidarity, put differences aside and put the interest of humanity first. That is the only way we can make transformational, practical progress that delivers for the climate, for our economies and for our people.”
Dr. Al Jaber highlighted once again the inevitability of the essential phase down of fossil fuels and called for a “comprehensive transformation” of climate finance instead of “piecemeal reform,” with a special focus on supporting “climate-positive development” across the Global South.
He also urged the countries to update their Nationally Determined Contributions by September 2023, far ahead of the 2025 deadline to accelerate action.
Dr Al Jaber urged the governments, industry, and all stakeholders to “disrupt business as usual” and take decisive action to tackle the climate crisis.
He also urged the world to accelerate the “inevitable” and “essential” phase down of fossil fuels, calling for the tripling of renewable energy output to 11,000 gigawatts, the doubling of energy efficiency measures, and the doubling of hydrogen production to 180 tonnes per year by 2030.
He called on NOCs and IOCs to zero out methane emissions by 2030.
