Category: Previous Issues Articles

First Runner Up – Russia

Russia seems to be lost… or at least confused about why we’re all in Dubai, as they keep striking fossil fuel deals instead of making meaningful climate pledges. Whilst the world focuses on climate negotiations, Putin showed his face in the UAE for all the wrong reasons; to discuss new oil agreements with UAE and Saudi Arabia. Conveniently for him, we are not in one of the 100 countries which recognise the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.  

Russia is renowned for its skilled chess players, but, let’s face it, Putin is no Anatoly Karpov. In a country where nearly half the federal budget comes from revenues generated by fossil fuels, with 40% allocated to finance the war in Ukraine and other armed conflicts worldwide, he’s using fossil fuels as a key piece in the geopolitical match, militarising their supply with dire consequences for the climate. Russia’s opposition to phase-out language at COP28 is driven by a selfish drive for profit at the expense of people and climate. Their scrutiny of the Tripling Renewable Energy target further undermines the negotiations. This is not how you execute a Queen’s Gambit.  

Therefore, Russia has been awarded Fossil of the Day for putting more effort into exporting fossil fuels than supporting climate solutions.
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Early this week, your devoted chronicler spoke of the virtue of patience, a virtue that has been the constant companion of those awaiting the fruition of the Global Goal on Adaptation. But alas, even the saintliest of souls find their patience tested when faced with the slow machinations of this boring political dance. Now, let us not be mistaken, the crafting of a comprehensive GGA framework is no frivolous matter.  

Until now, the urgency of adaptation action and finance has fallen off the radar. Just like the snail pace of negotiations, adaptation planning, implementation, and finance has stalled. Yet, the question remains: where is adaptation hiding at COP and why must such a crucial matter be shrouded in complexity and delay?

ECO challenges you to ponder this – is adaptation’s complexity truly insurmountable, or is it a convenient excuse for those who wish to delay progress? ECO has been anticipating a result after two years of discussions & workshops on GGA and if COP28 doesn’t deliver on adaptation, it will be a significant global failure.

During Wednesday’s tense sessions punctuated by points of order, ECO watched in horror as the adaptation negotiations collapsed in front of our eyes. The spirit of collaboration, discovered by Parties as late as the 7th workshop, vanished into thin air.
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We are entering the final phase of this COP – and are mind-blown. Not by the swift and impeccable logistics in the Dubai COP venue, but by the slow progress made on multiple negotiation tracks and the amount of work still ahead if COP28 is to result in a successful outcome.

Let us look at the Mitigation Work Programme (WMP) for example. After one week of negotiations, Parties have merely produced a text, without any real substance on mitigation. ECO wants to remind everyone why this is a problem: The MWP is the space in the negotiations where Parties agree on actionable steps to “urgently scale up mitigation ambition” in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Looking at the extent of the climate crisis around us and the gloomy scientific outlooks on where we are heading, moving at a snails pace on such a critical issue should be out of the question.

As said, the current text is very slim and mainly repeats existing language. It leaves A LOT to be desired still: Parties need to make sure they deliver on the 1.5°C target which means collectively reducing global emissions by 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035, while recognising the principles of the highest possible ambition, equity and best and latest available science.
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Parties at COP28 are challenged to follow the leadership of their counterparts at COP5 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury who recently made a landmark decision.

On November 3, just over a month ago, 147 Parties agreed to phase out all fluorescent lamps by 2027; effectively paving the way for a seamless transition to mercury-free and energy-efficient LED lamps.

This decision will, cumulatively by 2050:  

• Avoid 2.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions,
• Save USD 1.13 trillion on electricity bills, and   
• Eliminate 158 tonnes of mercury pollution, both from the light bulbs themselves and from avoided mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Overwhelming evidence generated by research conducted in up to 60 countries by the Clean Lighting Coalition highlighted the incontestable health, economic, environment, climate, and technology benefits of transitioning to LED lamps.

It was also a matter of environmental justice. As countries in the Global North legislate the phase out of fluorescents without halting their manufacture, countries in the Global South become targets for the dumping of these toxic products.

In the face of such compelling evidence, any attempt to present counter arguments supporting the continuation of fluorescents, due to pressure from manufacturers, became untenable.

Remarkably, it took less than three years to adopt this landmark decision from the time the amendment to the Minamata Convention to eliminate fluorescents was introduced. 
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 (to be sung in the tune of Beyonce’s Single Ladies)

All the delegates
All the delegates
All the delegates
All the delegates
All the delegates
All the delegates
Now put your plates up!

Up in B1, tryin’ a-save the world
I’m doing my own little thing
Decided to dip, and now you wanna trip
‘Cause somebody screwed the GST

It’s weak, you see, your NDC
You didn’t pay any attention
Just cried my tears, for thirty one years
From reading the IPCC

‘Cause if you liked it then you should have put some text on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put your badge on it
Don’t be mad once you see they screwed the GST
If you liked it, then you shoulda put some text on it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, o-ohh

Got water up to my hips, then cracked lips
All crazy weather in between
While you’re acting up, drinking your cup
Don’t threaten me with Rule 16
We’re failing our mission, did I mention
The global goal on adaptation?
‘Cause you had your turn, and now you gonna learn
To spell the damn NCQG

Cause if you liked it then you should have put some text on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put your badge on it
Don’t be mad once you see they screwed the GST
If you liked it, then you shoulda put some text on it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, o-ohh

Hey, movers and shakers! Heard the rumours? They’re saying today is “Official Youth Day.” But let’s set the record straight: every day is children and youth day. 
Young voices are not just flashy side acts, they deserve a spot and say at these negotiations. Youth aren’t just social media trendsetters, they hold internationally recognized rights. 

Let’s address the elephant in the room: global injustice and the triple planetary crisis. This mess is a result of inequality, colonialism, burning of fossil fuels and exploitation. The most vulnerable bear the brunt of the climate crisis’ impacts, despite having the least hand in causing it.

Here’s the scoop from ECO.  Fixing this imbalance needs more than a one-hit wonder—it’s an ongoing orchestra! Youth participation and engagement has to come from the youth themselves, not as a top-down process. They should have the reins in choosing where and how they contribute. Self-organized and democratic youth movements and organizations show what this looks like. 
Children and young people are already showing with great commitment and effort what they want. For example, the YOUNGOs Global Youth Statement (GYS) unites over 700,000 voices from 150 countries. Let’s listen and take action based on what children and youth ] demand!
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His Holiness and representatives don’t often descend from the Vatican to get involved in the scrappy detail of SBSTA-SBI negotiations at COPs.

The Pope himself was scheduled to join the Leaders’ Summit at the opening of COP28, but was sadly held back by health issues. Undeterred, He sent his representative to one of the most critical issues at COP28, affecting billions of people around the world.

Indeed, the Pope’s person felt moved to share His Holiness’s views at the closing contact group of the Sharm-el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Agriculture and Food Security earlier this week.

And apparently one of God’s biggest envoys on Earth is not impressed.

Agriculture negotiations were unable to come to any agreement on the process to take forward the work, nor on the workshop topics to dive into in the years to come.

With 2.4 billion people – largely women and residents of rural areas – lacking access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, and that number growing every year, it is unacceptable that Parties prefer to play with procedural conclusions, instead of proactively progressing productive outcomes.

With agriculture outcomes delayed for yet another year, the agribusiness corporations that are fuelling the climate crisis, starving the world and feeding their shareholders, continue business as usual.
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ECO heard some very concerning words at a high level roundtable on Tuesday. There seemed to be confusion about what we should be talking about here (hint: full fossil fuel phaseout) and instead we heard nothing but dangerous distractions from large producers. In case you missed it, here’s what ECOheard. 

Yo, it’s John Kerry, let me lay it down straight,
Carbon Management Challenge, it’s our clean slate.
We’re the world’s oil and gas giant, no doubt,
Greenwashing it all, we’re taking that route.

1.5 degrees, that’s our North Star,
We gotta reach it, no matter who we are,
Carbon capture, storage, that’s the key,
To a greener future, you and me, you see?

(Chorus)
Green business is the plan, don’t you know?
CCS may falter, but we put on a show.
We invite nations to join in this dance,
Carbon Management Challenge, give it a chance.

We launched a challenge, at the White House we met,
Carbon Management Challenge, our best bet,
Tax credits, legislation, it’s all in the mix,
Occidental’s in, DAC, a sustainable fix!

We’re the top dogs in the oil and gas game,
Selling worldwide, building our name.
CCS might stumble, but we’ll paint it just fine,
As long as it’s profitable, we’ll toe the line.
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Today’s winner managed to outshine their peers and earn the rare honour, or should we say dishonour, of being a subnational government getting a fossil of the day. The province of Alberta, Canada has come to COP with one mission, to sabotage the negotiations. 

Premier Smith, in particular, has had her name added to the black book. Her previous work as a fossil fuel lobbyist was good experience for disrupting Canada’s stance on the fossil fuel phaseout debate at COP. But she can’t take all the credit, she had the support of an extensive delegation of oil and gas representatives. 

This is COP28, there is no space for climate change blockers and deniers, or for governments who, for months, let toxic tailings leak into the drinking water of Indigenous communities without even bothering to inform them. 

This past summer wildfires raged across the province of Alberta; attention Smith, the truth is catching up. It’s time to end support for the oil & gas industry and stop blocking federal regulations that could finally allow Canada to meet its climate target, including a much-needed cap on the massive emissions from the fossil fuel sector. Clean energy solutions are here, they are sustainable investments, so stop blocking renewable energy development.
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It bears repeating: the first Global Stocktake (GST) is a report card on the progress of global climate action and a key guidance for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. 

Countries have gone into this process well aware of the gaps between what is needed and what is being done with respect to all subjects on the report card, knowing how the shortfalls are compromising our global agreement and causing climate devastation around the world. But simply restating this well-known dismal reality is insufficient to meet the intended purpose of the GST.

As discussions turn to the Guidance and Ways Forward, ECO’s expectations are high. How these ‘ways forward’ are articulated could make or break the first GST. In turn, the GST outcome will make or break our ability to limit temperatures to 1.5°C. 

And so ECO is very concerned how far Parties are from a consensus when it comes to putting this down on paper.

Firstly, all countries should have begun the process of determining their 2035 targets within climate plans that meet their fair shares. However, this cannot focus solely on developing and delivering upcoming NDCs for 2035. On top of that, all countries should agree to bring revised NDCs for 2030 showing increased ambition.
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