Responsibility and the Complexities of Climate Leadership

Context:

There is a growing campaign to remove Minister Sultan Al Jaber (UAE), the President-Designate of COP28, from his position.

The campaign is centered around the fact that Minister is the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

A Journey of Unity:

Towards a clean energy future everyone needs to be together.
Fossil fuel-dependent economies have a more difficult task defining their energy transition strategy.
Time to simultaneously engage and continue at COP28 and at every platform on the best way forward for their economies and for the planet.
Finance will be crucial for COP28.

Conference of the Parties (COP):

An apex decision-making authority of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC).
It meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise.
The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in March 1995.
The office of the COP President normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Others).

Let’s Have a Look at the COP 28:

It is scheduled to be held at the end of 2023.
It aims to address the urgent challenges of climate change like reducing greenhouse gases emissions, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and mobilizing financial resources for climate action.
It provides a platform for countries to set targets, share best practices and make commitments to combat climate change.
The Bonn Climate Conference was held in June 2023, where it prepared draft decisions that will happen in COP28.

Key Points Emphasized by the COP28 President:

Methane Emissions and Net-Zero Plans: Suggested the oil and gas industries to completely eliminate methane emissions by 2030 and align their practices with net-zero emission plans by 2050.
Inclusive Energy Transition and Climate Justice: For ensuring the developing world’s fight against climate change.
Maximizing Technology Adoption and Climate Finance: Developing countries represent a significant portion of the world’s population, hence need to be technologically advanced.
Renewable Energy Capacity and Hydrocarbons: There is a need to increase global renewable energy capacity, aiming to triple it by 2030 and double it again by 2040.
Carbon Capture Technologies and Industrial Emissions: There is a serious need to be cautious about carbon capture technologies to achieve realistic net-zero emissions.
Breakthroughs in Battery Storage, Nuclear Energy and Fusion: Advancement in these sectors is a need of the hour.

Issues of the Time:

Many nations are crippled by unsustainable debts, including debts which are becoming unpayable due to climate damages.
Debt is one of the barriers to clean energy investment and climate adaptation.

Possible Solutions:

The UAE leadership set an example for a clean energy target starting in 2025, transforming the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company into the Abu Dhabi Clean Energy and Grid Company by 2030, and towards global financial reform including of the International Monetary Fund.
The fossil fuels-dependent economies need to support funding for climate damages in the most vulnerable countries, well in advance of the COP like for the Loss and Damage fund.
Sovereign wealth funds and multilateral development banks (MDBs) could assist in de-risking restructured debts and insuring re-issued climate bonds.

Steps Taken by India in direction to Mitigate Climate Change:

In August 2022, India updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), by which India has enhanced the target to reduce emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030 from 2005 level, and achieve about 50 percent electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
- Increase non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
- Reduce the total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030.
- Achieve net zero carbon by 2070.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was launched in 2008 by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change.
8 national missions forming the core of the NAPCC are:
- National Solar Mission
- National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
- National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
- National Water Mission
- National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
- National Mission for A Green India
- National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
- National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
National Mission on Sustainable Habitat

Conclusion:

There are no winners and losers in a global climate breakdown.
To achieve global climate targets, everyone should participate in the best possible way, as time is running out, and we all need to work together to save the 1.5°C Paris target before it is too late.

Additional Information:

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA):

A leading global intergovernmental agency for energy transformation that serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, supports countries in their energy transitions, and provides state of the art data and analyses on technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment.
IRENA drives the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, and energy security, for economic and social resilience and prosperity and a climate-proof future.
Currently it has 168 members (167 countries & the EU), India is one of the Founding Members of IRENA.
It has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Its Publications includes:

Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023
The World Energy Transitions Outlook
Low Cost Finance for the Energy Transition
The Small Island Developing States Lighthouses Initiative Annual Progress Report
The cost of capital financing for renewable power

Constitutional Provisions Related With Climate Protection:

Article 48A of the Constitution of India states that the State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
Article 51A of the Constitution of India provides that every citizen shall protect the environment.
Article 253 of the Constitution of India deals with the enactment of legislation for giving effect to international agreements.

Related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

SDG Goal 13 directly deals with taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

SDGs indirectly deals with Climate Rejuvenation are:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):

Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Objective: To provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
The IPCC currently has 195 members.
Through its assessments, the IPCC identifies the strength of scientific agreement in different areas and indicates where further research is needed.
- The IPCC does not conduct its own research.