Climate Ministers Meet In Denmark Over Next Climate Actions

Nearly 40 climate leaders and ministers from around the world are meeting in Denmark to push for climate action as part of the preparation for the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP29)

Uganda which holds the position of Chair of the Group of 77 and China (G77 +China) is being represented by State Minister for Environment, Beatrice Anywar.     

Anywar commonly known as Mama Mabira made a statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. She said G77 and China find the meeting as a very helpful opportunity for better engagement and setting the scene for the work ahead in climate negotiations. 

///Cue In “ Climate Change…. 

Cue Out…Change”///

She said the G77 and China suggest an urgent need for an ambitious and scaled-up action.   

///Cue In “ G77 and China…….. 

Cue Out …. Work program”///

Dr Sultan Al-Jaber, COP28 President called leaders around the world to deliver on the loss and damage fund.  The COP28 in Dubai last year agreed on a historic agreement on a loss and damage fund. 

The fund is supposed to help developing countries cope with the effects of climate change. The conference mobilized the initial contributions to the loss and damage fund.  

The first board meeting for the loss and damage funded will be held mid-next month. Dr Al-Jaber urged all who can to make contributions to the fund. 

///Cue In “finance will be the   

Cue Out …. And affordable”//

“COP 28 advanced the conversation about a comprehensive redesign of the international financial system to align finance flows with climate goals. We now need to move from conversation, from dialogue to real implementation,” Al-Jaber urged. 

He said climate finance must be made more available, more accessible and more affordable at every level. “Private finance must work alongside development funding to transform the climate finance landscape. To turn talk into action, we must adopt a new spirit of accountability at all levels across public and private sectors,” he added. 

////Cue Industries must…..

Cue Out…in the right direction”//

/ The UAE Consensus set many groundbreaking firsts, including the responsible transition away from fossil fuels, the first explicit targets for renewable energy capacity, tripling by 2030 and firsts for nature with a 2030 goal to end deforestation.

Dan Jørgensen, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy said the meeting in Copenhagen provides an early opportunity to push for the implementation of the UAE consensus and an ambitious result on the new goal on climate finance and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCS).NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement, the landmark international treaty on climate change. 

These are plans that countries submit, outlining their commitments to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Each country’s NDC is expected to reflect its highest possible ambition, taking into account its national circumstances.

The Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC), Simon Stiell, said the ministerial meeting in Copenhagen is under the shadow of the World Meteorological Organisation report showing the latest temperature increases that have been off the charts. 

///Cue In “In January I spoke….

Cue Out…. Twenty months” /// 

He suggested the need for diverse sources of funding for climate action. “It is those around the table here at a political level who have the responsibility of getting the agreement over the line. We are talking about trillions, not billions,” remarked Stiell. He mentioned that his organization now faces what he described as severe financial challenges. 

“And these challenges were highlighted throughout the course of last year. Throughout the budget negotiations with Parties. Our budget is less than half funded” he revealed.

///Cue In “We are attempting to…. 

Cue Out …. If we have the funding support”/// 

“I wrote to you all last week. This is me once again ringing that alarm bell. I urge you to respond as soon as possible to ensure you get the support you need and have requested from us,” he pleaded. 

“We are now on the race to the top. Every country has a choice. Plan for a better economy and fix climate finance for a better world or miss out on the opportunities,” 

The Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Jim Skea again warned that it was “now or never” to limit global heating to the more ambitious Paris Agreement goal of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. He said as confirmed by the WMO report, 2023 was the hottest on record with particular extremes in ocean temperatures.

///Cue IN “Extreme weather events…..

Cue Out. Coastal communities”//

/ “Our latest report shows that with every increment of warming, the world will become more and more dangerous. Beyond 1.5 warming, we will see new risks emerging,” Skea warned.  

The sixth IPCC synthesis report last year warned that human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature reaching 1.1°C above 1850-1900 in 2011-2020. It said global greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase, with unequal historical and ongoing contributions arising from unsustainable energy use.