COP-28 on Climate Change Organised in Dubai

The joint world climate conference under COP-28 will be held in Dubai from 30 November – 12 December under the presidency of the Arab Emirates.

• Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, has been appointed as the President of COP28.
• Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is also the first CEO to be appointed as COP President. Sultan Al Jaber heads Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the world's largest oil companies.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will represent India in this conference.
• The conference is expected to see intense discussions among the representatives of 200 countries on issues like adverse effects of climate change, use of fossil fuels, financial assistance to reduce methane and carbon emissions and compensation to be given from rich countries to developing countries. 

Major points of discussion in the conference -

Efforts to find a solution to the climate crisis

• The conference will attempt to address the issue of economic assistance to developing and poor countries who are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis despite contributing less to the climate crisis.

Emphasis on increasing renewable energy

• More than 60 countries, led by the US, the European Union (EU) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are now supporting the commitment to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency.
• The G20 countries have supported tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 under India's chairmanship, while the UAE, which is hosting the UN climate conference, has advocated for a global consensus on this at COP 28.

COP- 27

• COP 27 was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18, 2022.
• The COP-27 conference was organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) based in Bonn, Germany.

Conference of Parties (COP)

• Here COP stands for Conference of the Parties ( Partner countries in the conference)  and 28 stands for 28th meeting. 
• It is the supreme body of the UNFCCC conference.
• The first COP was held in Berlin, Germany in 1995.
• It holds its sessions every year.
• The President of the COP is usually the environment minister of the host country. Which is elected immediately after the opening of the COP session.

COPs with significant results

Year 1995: COP1 (Berlin, Germany)

• 1st COP

Year 1997: COP 3 (Kyoto Protocol)

• The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed countries to emissions reduction targets.
• Year 2002: COP 8 (New Delhi, India) Delhi Declaration.
• The focus is on the development needs of the poorest countries and the need for technology transfer to mitigate climate change.

Year 2010: COP 16 (Cancun)

• As a result of the Cancún Agreements, a comprehensive package was introduced by governments to assist developing countries in combating climate change.
• The Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism and the Cancún Adaptation Framework were established.

Year 2015: COP 21 (Paris Agreement)

• To keep global warming below 2.0oC above pre-industrial times and to try to limit it even further (to 1.5oC).
• This requires rich countries to maintain their funding pledge of $100 billion annually beyond 2020.