Analysts and environmentalists associated with the intricate process of tackling climate change from nearly 190 countries and hundreds of NGOs who attended the pivotal COP 28 meeting touched upon various denotations and connotations related to the discussions carried out by several groups and committees on the sidelines.
In an interesting interview carried out by Umar Manzoor Shah of Yamide Dagnet, the Director for Climate Justice at Open Society Foundations, brought forth several intricate details that are drawing attention to to the key challenges and opportunities related to different dimensions of climate change and its impact on world governance and human rights. She offered a comprehensive and nuanced perspective on global climate discourse. It provided a panoramic view of the complex landscape of climate action that included challenges related to climate finance and also the critical role of the private sector and the ethical considerations in technology deployment.
Her interview, as well as comments made by other analysts have offered a roadmap for navigating the intricate terrain of climate change, including an urgent call to action directed towards global leaders, businesses, and civil society to address the existing and evolving challenges together.
All stakeholders have been requested to draw attention of world leaders to the need to find common denominators that would assist in moving forward towards a more sustainable and resilient future. Dagnet, in this context also interestingly underlined that while a true and proper energy and industrial revolution holds immense potential for economic growth in resource-rich nations, it is also crucial to protect the rights of frontline communities and activists. In this regard, satisfaction has been conveyed pertaining to the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund and other pledges, especially from countries like the UAE, Germany, and the EU, that in its own way highlighted the current emphasis on international solidarity.
In this regard one needs to draw attention also to another aspect – the role of wealthier nations in the fight against climate change. Reality, unfortunately, has not as yet seen many of these richer nations fulfilling their commitments. This has been particularly true in the context of generation adaptation finance.
In this context, in several discussions on the sidelines, attention was drawn to the fact that earlier pledges made by key nations in different COP meetings have not been upheld. This also includes funds that need to be available for mitigation measures. Consequently, the world, particularly the developing countries have tried in their own way to draw attention but have not seen any particular success in meeting the financial targets promised in 2009 and outlined in the Paris Agreement. As a result, lack of fulfilling pledges have been seen as lack of trust and failure on the part of wealthier nations to ensure a unified front in the fight against climate change. Such a strong view as expressed by Dagnet was required.
This COP 28 meeting has also underscored the critical importance of aligning investments with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Many environmentalists have in this regard drawn attention to the fact that contrary to expectations, some richer oil producing countries are doubling subsidies for fossil fuels- which is bound to hamper efforts towards a transition to clean energy through requisite financial support. It may be noted in this context that on December 2 many philanthropic organizations raised a common voice for increased funding related to adaptation needs.
It would be useful at this juncture for all of us to understand that the world today is facing the challenge of balancing economic goals while adhering to climate policies. There is also the aspect related to the requirement of integration of climate policy into the broader development agenda. If such measures are not undertaken carefully, we are bound to face economic risks posed by climate-related disasters- hurricanes and fires that are causing widespread destruction. We need to remember that the comparatively less-rich countries of the world require strong infrastructure. Otherwise, even substantial economic gains can be wiped out if development projects are not resilient to floods, hurricanes, and other climate-related incidents.
The world needs to understand that there is also a business perspective within the investment matrix pertaining to investing in reducing emissions. From this point Dagnet underlined that “with the decreasing costs of renewable energy, it is not only an environmental imperative but also financially prudent. The cost-effectiveness of renewable energy makes a compelling case for nations to prioritize emission reduction efforts, aligning economic goals with sustainable development.”
From this perspective one also has to recognize that the rare transition minerals needed to scale up the use of renewable energy require a just energy and industrial revolution, which holds immense potential for economic growth in resource-rich nations. Nevertheless, one should not forget that potential adverse effects needs to be taken into account and mitigated by focusing on value addition in mineral supply chains. This obviously has to include dimensions related to people’s rights in land use, labor, and conservation of cultural heritage. If these factors are not forgotten, that will assure better results for all participants. This aspect most unfortunately has quite often been overlooked in some areas of Africa and also in Afghanistan.
The role of the private sector is also very important within the paradigm of undertaking climate action and in the focusing on areas such as adaptation and loss and damage. It is quite possible that the private sector will face some challenges in engaging with these aspects and also integrating climate risk into their business models. In this regard they have to remember that immediate profits might not occur with their participation but the long-term consequences of inaction might be severe. Any hesitation in this regard should be overcome with the help of insurance companies who could realistically also contribute to tackling losses and damages.
One must understand at this point that technology and skilled manpower will also be required to tackle the different dimensions of climate change. The importance of this was stressed upon by both Al Gore during the RIO Conference in 1992 and also later on by Kerry. It would be pertinent to be careful to avoid pitfalls. Technological solutions to evolving situations will need proper assessment, monitoring, safeguards, and global governance to mitigate the risks associated with less-proven and more controversial solutions like geoengineering, carbon dioxide removal, and carbon capture and storage.
There has to be responsible technology deployment and also recognition that while technology can offer solutions, it must be guided by ethical considerations, an understanding of potential risks, and the design of appropriate guardrails to minimize unintended adverse impacts.
Dagnet correctly has also suggested that a holistic approach, which includes both technological advancements and indigenous knowledge will assist in a more participatory process and will be helpful to different groups together for addressing climate change challenges in an innovative and equitable way. We have seen how in some areas of Africa, India and also in Brazil the absence of indigenous involvement along with their past experiences have reduced effective use in tackling environmental problems. Such a scenario should be carefully avoided.
As expected, COP 28 also through different sideline meetings have reiterated the important role that civil society can play with regard to tackling needed changes within both adaptation and mitigation requirements. They also have an important ability to address the issue of climate change within the background of SDGs. They can also underline for governments and relevant authorities as to how there could be greater transparency in decision making and subsequent accountability. Their international collaboration based on robust data and support gained from nuanced and more sophisticated communication strategies would also generate effective accountability on the global stage.
Such measures, without doubt would be useful in increasing attention to scaling up efforts to keep global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius and enhance resilience, especially in the face of recent climate-related disasters globally.
(Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialized in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance,
can be reached at <[email protected]>) - (13.12 .23)- For BDP