SOME 70,000 delegates who are mostly heads of state, sitting presidents, ministers or secretaries of agencies concerning the environment, private sector stakeholders, scientists and academicians, NGOs and civil society groups, indigenous peoples, the media, and environment activists of all types are meeting in Dubai at the opening tomorrow of what is known as COP28.
The November 30 to December 12 gathering, one of the biggest multilateral events of the year, will tackle the negative impacts of human activity on the environment, especially greenhouse gas emissions.
COP28 is short for the 28th Conference of Parties (COP) which is held in compliance with the international treaty called the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which was established at the Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992. This treaty enjoins all signatories, which currently has 193 United Nations member-states including the Philippines, to meet every year to discuss what they are doing to combat climate change.
‘In the minimum, the holding of COP28 and the Philippine participation in this event should instill in all Filipinos the need to do whatever they can to save the environment and ensure the survival of humanity.’
Since the inaugural COP in 1995, scientific papers, formal discussions and resolutions have been presented, and climate commitments agreed on at these summits. One of the most notable is the Paris Agreement, the international treaty forged at the COP21 in 2015 that sets out to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This accord has the force of law in nations that signed it.
We sadly note that a United Nations panel has released a report that tended to douse cold water to the narrative of hope that pervades the Dubai summit. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that even if countries met their emission-reduction pledges, called the Nationally Determined Contributions, global emissions would decrease only by 2 percent from 2019 levels by the end of this decade.
To meet the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, emissions need to be cut by 43 percent, the report said. With the way countries all over the globe are complying with the 2015 Paris Agreement, it is next to impossible for this goal to be attained.
The global fight to avert climate change depends largely on limiting concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the earth’s atmosphere. Levels of these gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane reached an all-time high last year.
Flashfloods that occurred last week in Samar, heavy rainfall and shear lines this week in Laguna, Mindoro and Quezon, and intense heat and drought elsewhere are all manifestations of rising levels of GHG.
It is therefore imperative that COP28 make good its handling of the top agenda item called “global stocktake” which is a comprehensive assessment of all climate action undertaken every five years. Last September, preliminary findings suggested that much stronger actions against global warming are needed by all nations.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed his desire to attend the COP28 because “climate change is a primordial issue when it comes to the Philippines.” He said there is a pressing need to transform COP27 decisions into tangible outcomes, noting the urgency of immediate actions to address the climate crisis.
Since the Philippines is one of the countries most affected by climate change, its participation in COP28 is indeed important. Our voice on issues such as the phasing out of fossil fuels and the establishment of a loss-and-damage fund, how this will be financed and managed, should also be heard.
In the minimum, the holding of COP28 and the Philippine participation in this event should instill in all Filipinos the need to do whatever they can to save the environment and ensure the survival of humanity.
