The 28th Conference of the Parties [COP28] to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC] takes place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. It gathered approximately 150 of the world’s top decision-makers, but the notable absences are presidents Joe Biden of the United States and Xi Jinping of China, the leaders of the two most carbon-polluting nations. If his poor health condition had not prevented him from travelling to Dubai, Pope Francis would have made history as the first pontiff to address the conference.
“The gap between the opulent few and the masses of the poor has never been so abysmal,” Pope Francis noted in his message delivered byVatican Secretary of State Pietro Cardinal Parolin. The pope called for an end to coal, oil and gas as well as for lifestyle changes to save the planet. He also asked for ‘debt forgiveness’ for poorer countries hit by climate change.
In October of 2015, Pope Francis published Laudato Si’, before COP21 in Paris, and eight years later, on October 4, 2023, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, he published Laudate Deum, looking back anxiously at how little has been accomplished since then. “Our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point” (Laudate Deum, No. 2).
The success of COP28 will be determined by how the world settles on new binding measures for energy transition that are efficient, obligatory, and easily monitored. António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, appealed to the world’s leaders that “humanity’s fate is hanging in the balance”, calling on them to act now to end the climate catastrophe. He said, “This is a disease that only you, global leaders, can cure.” He urged them to end the world’s dependency on fossil fuels and to fulfil the promise of climate justice that has been overdue for so long.
The opening ceremony of the summit also saw the representation of indigenous communities whose survival is threatened by climate change. In contrast to previous summits marred by disputes, COP28 began positively, avoiding conflicts over the agenda. In order to bridge financial gaps and promote clean energy investments by 2030, the host country, the United Arab Emirates, represented by its president, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, announced a USD 30 billion fund for climate solutions.
A similar initiative has been taken by the European Union, which intends to triple renewable energy sources by 2030 and double energy efficiency, marking a transformative initiative for global energy. Triple renewable energy refers to scaling up [tripling] renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, and other forms of renewable energy while reducing fossil fuel methane emissions.
“At this COP, we will take decisive steps to protect the world’s most vulnerable citizens,” Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, president of the European Union, stated in her address to delegates. “Climate change is running wild in these countries. They suffer loss and damage, but we will stand by them. This COP is about ambition, targets, and finance,” she said.
Both governments and individuals have a responsibility to act on climate change.
As we await the governments’ promises and decisions regarding the “Care for Our Common Home,” the time has come for us to commit to climate action. Jose, CMF
