OPINION | COP28: Good – but not good enough | Business

The responses of island nations to the outcomes at COP28 stood in contrast to the relief expressed by other delegates – a stark reminder that while progress has been made to halt the devastating impact of climate change, there has not been nearly enough, writes Andreas Peschke. 

When HE Dr Sultan
Ahmed Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) closed this year’s World
Climate Conference, COP 28, in Dubai, delegates rose for standing ovations.
They were tired, but relieved. Important progress had been made. The world
community recommitted to the goal of reducing global warming to 1.5^OC.

Yet, when
representatives of island states took the stage a couple of minutes later, they
were crying. What had been achieved, they said, may be significant, but it is
not enough to save our countries. Their tears were a clear reminder to all of
us, of how much more still needs to be done to halt global warming.

For the first
time, at COP28, the pathway to slow down climate change has been described much
more clearly than at previous climate conferences. It will be reached by
massively expanding renewable energies. Renewables are mentioned in the final document
as the main energy source of the future. A global commitment was made to
triple (!) the use of renewable energies by 2030. This is an important signal for
countries like South Africa, or Germany, which have already embarked upon a
massive transition of their energy systems, bringing in renewable sources of
energy.

At the same time,
COP28 became the first climate summit which agreed on transitioning away from
fossil fuels in energy systems. By 2050, the era of fossil fuels will come to
an end. This will fundamentally change the face of our societies and economies.
And it is a clear signal to investors that fossil fuels in the long term are no
secure investments any more. Germany is proud to have contributed to this
consensus during the preparatory Petersberg Climate Dialogue.

With the US,
Columbia and UAE, the number of countries committed to exit coal within the
next 10 to 15 years has risen to 167. Germany wants to exit coal by 2030. Of
course, we know that the exit needs to be gradual and step-by-step. Nobody can
switch off coal-fired power stations overnight. Not in Germany, and not in
South Africa. And nobody should. This process needs to be handled carefully,
with a view to a secure and stable energy supply, and also mitigating the
social consequences. By providing alternative livelihoods to miners and
families, nobody should be left behind. It is a fundamental transformation
process where our countries should and already do cooperate intensively.

At COP28, there
was the important question of how best to adapt to the effects of ongoing
climate change, such as devastating floods, droughts, storms, heat waves, which
negatively affect human health, water availability and agriculture. By 2027,
all countries will have access to an early warning system.

And then there
were the very important questions of climate financing, climate justice and
solidarity. It is clear that industrial countries must take on a special
responsibility to fight climate change. They should also support countries of the
Global South in this effort. Africa contributes only 2% to global emissions,
yet it is disproportionally affected by climate change. Therefore, already on
the first day of the conference, Germany, together with the United Arab
Emirates, announced to put $100 million into the so-called Loss and Damage
Fund, to assist the most vulnerable countries with solidarity. The next COP at
Baku, Azerbaijan, shall look at what new financing instruments are necessary to
ensure adequate and just climate financing.

South Africa has,
as part of the global climate effort, already embarked on the courageous and
visionary path of a just energy transition, gradually bringing in new forms of
energy into the energy mix, and tackling the social aspects of the
transformation. Just ahead of COP28, the government presented a detailed
implementation plan, once more taking a leading role.

In my view, a
successful transition can also make a positive contribution to solving the
energy crisis. Therefore, joining hands for a just energy transition, is also
an important part of the cooperation between South Africa, the US, the UK, the
EU and other partners. Germany has already committed R36 billion to this
cooperation. It is how we see global partnership at work.

In these times of
geopolitical crises, COP28 was not only a step forward for climate protection. It
was also proof that multilateralism can work, even under difficult
circumstances. Now it is all about implementation. By 2025, all countries
should submit cross-sectoral new climate plans. Germany will continue to stand
shoulder to shoulder with South Africa, as a major global partner, in this
epochal endeavour.

So truly, much has
been achieved. But so much more needs to be done if we want to save our planet.
The just energy transition is far from completed. Climate change still needs to
be reined in. One thing is clear. If we want to be successful, we need to act
urgently. And now.

Andreas Peschke, German Ambassador to South Africa. 

News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.