At the COP28 opening today all parties showed solidarity by agreeing to operationalize the loss and damage fund and funding arrangements.
Amid scenes of applause and jubilation in the Plenary Hall, several countries pledged money to the fund totaling some $300 million.
“Today’s news on loss and damage gives this conference a running start,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. “Governments must use this momentum to deliver a truly ambitious outcome in Dubai.”
Officially, COP28 stands for the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
COPs take place every year, and are the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change with almost complete membership of every country in the world.
To put it simply, the COP is where the world comes together to agree on ways to address the climate crisis, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
In a message released just now, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell outlined some of the key priorities for COP28. Here’s a short excerpt:
“It’s great that over 160 world leaders are coming, but COP28 cannot be just a photo-op. Leaders must deliver in Dubai – the message is clear. And as leaders leave Dubai after the opening Summit, their message to their negotiators must be equally clear: don’t come home without a deal that will make a real difference.”