In one of the last speeches of the day, US vice-president Kamala Harris promised $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, claiming the country is “a leader in the effort to expand international climate finance”.

Now she has to get it past Republicans in Congress, something that kept the US from delivering all of Barack Obama’s 2014 $3 billion pledge.

Italy, Switzerland, Portugal and Estonia have also announced GCF contributions at Cop28.

Several world leaders condemned Israel’s resuming attacks on Gaza, among them Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and South Africa. Harris skipped an event on energy transition to attend talks on the developing situation.

‘Greenwashing’ oil and gas initiative

Sultan Al Jaber’s much-touted Oil and Gas Charter “to speed up climate action in the industry” has seen the light of day.

Fifty oil and gas majors, representing 40% of global production, have committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 from their operations. That ignores the emissions caused by burning the stuff – 80-95% of the sector’s carbon footprint.

Other targets are ending routine flaring by 2030, and near-zero upstream methane emissions. Many oil majors, Al Jaber’s Adnoc included, have failed to implement bans on routine flaring.

Barbados’s prime minister Mia Mottley used her speech to target methane. Two years after a global methane pledge was launched in Glasgow, she said, “the global methane agreement that the world needs to see has not yet come.”

Mottley called for regulation and compliance – not voluntary commitments – to make oil and gas companies fix pipelines and stop flaring.

A group of 320 civil society organisations has written a letter to the Cop28 presidency saying the initiative should be dropped as it “serves primarily to greenwash the fossil fuel industry”.

In brief

Going nuclear – Twenty-two countries have pledged to collectively triple their nuclear energy capacity by 2050 from 2023 levels. They include the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, UAE, UK and France.

Holy phase out – Pope Francis pleaded with Cop28 delegates to drop fossil fuels and engage in “lifestyles that are less dependent” on them. He was scheduled to deliver a speech in Dubai but pulled out due to health issues. Cardinal Pietro Parolin read his remarks instead.

Oil stays at home – Norway joined a group of countries pledging to stop financing fossil fuels internationally. The Clean Energy Transition Partnership, formed in 2021, has 40 members including the US, Canada and several EU countries.

Best forests forever – Brazil launched its proposal for a global fund to protect tropical forests in up to 80 countries. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility would mobilize at least $250 billion in existing resources and pay for conserved tropical forests in member countries.

Better late than never – The US has signed on to Powering Past Coal Alliance. Japan is now the only G7 country that has not committed to phasing out unabated coal power, although its prime minister Fumio Kishida said it would stop building unabated coal power plants.

Keep it in the ground – Colombia joined a group of nine countries calling for an international treaty to leave fossil fuels on the ground. It is the only fossil fuel producer among member countries, which consist mostly of small island states.

Bridgetown to IDB – Mottley’s climate adviser Avinash Persaud has announced he will leave government to become climate adviser to the Inter-American Development Bank’s president, starting 16 January.

The post Cop28 bulletin: US GCF pledge and ‘greenwash’ oil and gas charter appeared first on Climate Home News.

Expect drama at this year’s UN climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Emotions are running high as the Israel-Palestine conflict tests geopolitical alliances. In a region economically dependent on oil and gas exports, the imperative to quit fossil fuels will be front and centre. Countries at the sharp end of the climate crisis finally have loss and damage finance in sight and are fighting for a fair deal. 

Setting the scene, 22 November 

Key themes of Cop28 include the energy transition, loss and damage finance, and carbon trading rules. Where does recent climate diplomacy leave us and what is still to play for? 

The speakers for this event are:

• • Avinash Persaud, advisor to Barbados’ prime minister Mia Amor Mottley, member of loss and damage transitional committee
  • Rachel Kyte, former advisor to the UN secretary general on climate, former head of Sustainable Energy for All, now co-chair of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity initiative
  • Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water

This discussion will be led by Megan Darby, the editor of Climate Home News. Register in the Zoom discussion using this link to be able to send your questions.

Register here

Reading the politics, 5 December 

Reviewing announcements from the world leaders’ summit. What political signals did they send and how will they play into the final week of negotiations? 

Endgame analysis, 12 December 

On the official end date of the conference, barring a miracle, the real negotiations will just be getting started. What decisions are expected and what trade-offs remain? 

The post Oil, carbon and loss: navigating Cop28 with Climate Home News appeared first on Climate Home News.