UAE: The UAE, Azerbaijan, and Brazil, former and future UN climate summit hosts, are collaborating to secure an international agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The UAE’s COP28 presidency plans to form a “troika” to ensure ambitious CO2-cutting pledges are made before the 2025 COP30 summit in Brazil, while Azerbaijan will host the UN climate event in November.
“We cannot afford to lose momentum, we must do everything we can to keep 1.5°C within reach,” stated Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE president of COP28.
In 2015, nearly 200 governments signed the Paris climate agreement, aiming to phase out fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy by limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The target for limiting global warming to 1.5°C is rapidly slipping due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and the next round of climate targets is seen as a crucial last chance.
The troika partnership aims to enhance international cooperation and create an enabling environment for national-determined contributions, as per the final agreement at COP28. European climate monitors have reported that global warming has exceeded 1.5°C temperatures for the first time in a 12-month period, a “warning to humanity.”
2023 was the hottest year in global records since 1850 due to climate change, El Nino, and storms, drought, and fires, which led to the warming of eastern Pacific Ocean surface waters.
“The troika helps ensure we have the collaboration and continuity required to keep the North Star of 1.5C in sight – from Baku to Belem and beyond,” Al Jaber said in a statement. UN estimates indicate that the world is on track to warm between 2.5 and 2.9 degrees Celsius over this century, despite current climate pledges. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that the 1.5C limit is likely to be reached between 2030 and 2035.
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