This yr’s United Nations local weather summit, generally known as COP28, is lower than two months away and by no means has a COP presidency attracted as a lot controversy as the present one hosted by the UAE.
Whereas the selection of Sultan Al Jaber, chief of the nation’s nationwide oil firm Adnoc, because the COP28 president continues to draw debate and headlines, one other distinguished determine who has been laying the groundwork for the high-stakes negotiations is Razan Al Mubarak, formally assigned UN Local weather Change Excessive-Stage Champion.
Razan can be the managing director of Abu Dhabi’s atmosphere company and the present president of the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She is the primary Arab lady to steer the worldwide organisation and has been a vocal advocate for nature and conservation efforts on the worldwide circuit.
She has spoken continuously on ladies illustration within the local weather discourse and throughout all segments of society. “At an area stage, ladies’s participation can result in higher useful resource governance and conservation outcomes. And within the non-public sector, increased percentages of ladies on company boards improves the disclosure of carbon emissions info,” she wrote just lately in an op-ed.
Razan can be the daughter of Khalifa Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Mubarak, a former UAE ambassador to France who was assassinated in 1984 in Paris, and her household is amongst Abu Dhabi’s ruling elite. The UAE is the world’s seventh largest oil producer with the fifth largest fuel reserves and has constructed its financial system fully on fossil fuel-derived wealth.
In recent times, the highlight, nonetheless, has been on how the nation has made enormous investments into the power transition and renewables sector. It just lately introduced a plan to speculate US$54 billion in renewables over the following seven years as a part of an total technique to succeed in net-zero emissions by 2050.
Because the designated high-level champion for the COP course of, Al Mubarak performs a key function in mobilising state and non-state actors – together with cities and sub-regional governments, Indigenous peoples, civil society – to deal with the local weather and nature crises collectively.
She has said that one among her priorities can be to advance the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda – the primary complete world plan to rally each states and non-state actors behind enhancing resilience for our planet’s 4 billion folks – and making certain that is carried out in a simply and inclusive means.
All eyes are on how the UAE will handle the contentious UNFCCC negotiations – slated to be held at Dubai’s Expo Metropolis from 30 November to 12 December – the place the oil trade’s presence, the loss and harm fund, and the primary ever world inventory take of local weather targets because the Paris Settlement might be within the highlight.
The important thing goal for this assembly might be making certain that the worldwide settlement to restrict world warming to 1.5 levels Celsius in contrast with pre-industrial occasions turns into a actuality. The COP28 presidency, Razan has stated, is “mobilising for an inclusive COP”.
“These steps to help ladies’s management and participation get us nearer to our aim and, I imagine, may also have a optimistic influence on future rounds of the local weather talks and on local weather activism basically.”
On this unique interview with Eco-Enterprise forward of the COP28 assembly, Razan shares her ideas on the highly-anticipated assembly, her function at IUCN and the necessity to part down all fossil fuels.
Anticipations are excessive for this yr’s COP28. Because the appointed UN Local weather Change Excessive-Stage Champion for the COP28 Presidency, what’s your imaginative and prescient of a profitable assembly?
We have now made nice strides with the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, agreed upon at COP27, however now we should construct extra momentum to assist rally international locations and non-state actors behind adaptation and resilience work. We should additionally deal with the losses which have already occurred because of the impacts of maximum climate like cyclones, droughts, floods, wildfires and excessive temperatures. Final yr, COP27 established a loss and harm fund, and now we should transfer ahead on filling the fund and disbursing assets in a well timed and efficient method. In fact, none of this may be achieved with out securing capital, and discovering methods to lift “simply” finance might be a high precedence.
These are all urgent points, and it’s crucial that inclusivity be on the coronary heart of the whole lot we do. Local weather change impacts each particular person on this planet, and it’s essential that we design local weather motion methods that contain and empower everybody – the International North and the International South, ladies, youth, Indigenous communities and extra. That is the one means ahead in an effort to make a simply transition, and we might be in search of methods to facilitate information sharing and constructing capability in communities the world over.
The place do you suppose are the areas which have made essentially the most and least progress on worldwide local weather cooperation?
We’re making important progress in advancing renewable power sources like photo voltaic and wind, and transitioning to extra electrical autos. Nevertheless, these options will solely get us to this point and challenges stay. For one, we have to guarantee we broaden photo voltaic and wind infrastructure with out harming the atmosphere. Moreover, the demand for extra electrical autos (EVs) on the roads comes with an elevated demand for uncommon earth minerals like lithium to energy their batteries – and, traditionally, mining for uncommon earth minerals has devastated forest ecosystems and threatened native susceptible communities. Thus, it’s crucial that we work collectively to place environmental safeguards in place to make sure we don’t inflict the identical harm brought on by the fossil fuels trade.
On the identical time, we should speed up the adoption of nature-based options. Giant-scale conservation, restoration, and sustainable administration of our ecosystems can successfully complement different local weather initiatives, serving to us to satisfy the objectives outlined within the Paris Settlement by 2030.
Are there particular actions that IUCN can assist form which is able to enhance the COP course of?
Till now, the conferences on local weather and biodiversity have operated largely in isolation from each other. Nevertheless, IUCN and different main voices have emphasised the crucial of looking for local weather options that concurrently deal with each urgent points. Local weather change and biodiversity loss are intricately linked, and addressing them collectively is paramount. By recognising this interdependence and fostering collaboration between local weather and biodiversity efforts, we stand a greater probability of forging a sustainable and harmonious future for our planet, one which protects each the local weather and the wealthy tapestry of life on Earth.
To that finish, I’m particularly proud that the UAE will co-host the 30×30 Ministerial with the Excessive Ambition Coalition for Nature and Individuals. This important initiative will assess the commitments made on the Conference on Organic Range (CBD) COP15. It’s our shared aim to make sure that donors ship US$20 billion in funding by 2025 as a part of all international locations enabling US$200 billion (of funding) by 2030. This important monetary help will propel us ahead to implement important conservation initiatives around the globe, a lot of that are nature-based options that help local weather mitigation and adaptation.
“
Traditionally, mining for uncommon earth minerals has devastated forest ecosystems and threatened native susceptible communities. Thus, it’s crucial that we work collectively to place environmental safeguards in place to make sure we don’t inflict the identical harm brought on by the fossil fuels trade.
What’s your tackle calls to part down all fossil fuels, particularly given the Center East’s reliance on this power supply? There’s understandably a number of scepticism that bold motion might be taken.
I, after all, help the science. The part down of fossil fuels is each important and inevitable. It have to be accountable, by making certain power safety, accessibility and affordability, whereas sustaining socioeconomic improvement.
There has at all times been a recognition that oil will at some point not be out there. We have to quickly construct the power system of the longer term, one which is freed from all unabated fossil fuels, whereas comprehensively decarbonising the power that we use right this moment.
The UAE has been getting ready for this transition for a very long time. In the present day, 70 per cent of its financial system comes from sources apart from oil; it’s it house to 3 of the most important and low-cost photo voltaic crops on this planet; and it has invested US$50 billion in renewable power in 70 international locations. It can make investments one other US$50 billion in renewable power over the following decade.
The International Stocktake has outlined our problem. The world must remove 22 gigawatt (GW) of emissions in simply seven years. It will require a supercharged power transition that’s simply, honest, nicely managed and leaves nobody behind.
Having the UAE host COP28 is a vital alternative to have interaction with the industries and individuals who perceive most about our present power system, and contribute to the answer.
How will you drive particular motion for the first-ever International Stocktake at COP28?
It’s now clear that we’re lagging in assembly crucial targets. Getting again on monitor and addressing these gaps would require modifications not simply in power and transportation, but in addition in how we farm, construct, manufacture, make investments, and preserve and restore nature. COP28 would be the first time that international locations will assess collective progress towards reaching the Paris Settlement’s key objectives by collaborating within the International Stocktake.
The stocktake presents a novel alternative for us to anchor the function of nature-based options for the Paris Settlement and invite nationwide governments to reinforce nature targets of their nationwide local weather pledges. It is usually crucial that we be sure that the International Stocktake acknowledges the contribution of native governments, companies, Indigenous peoples, and native communities in supporting nationwide governments. It will assist scale back the hole on local weather motion in order that we will attain the objectives of the Paris Settlement in time.
What are your objectives for COP28 to operationalise loss and harm funding particularly for creating international locations?
At COP27, the worldwide group agreed to determine the Loss and Injury Fund in recognition of supporting climate-vulnerable international locations who’ve been severely affected by local weather disasters. At COP28, it’s crucial that we see an consequence on the operationalisation of this fund and its funding preparations. Most significantly, we should guarantee help for communities going through local weather impacts that can not be tailored to, recognising that some harm is past mitigation or adaptation efforts. A precedence might be to make sure early pledges to the Loss and Injury fund, and to encourage others to comply with.
Moreover, to enrich the efforts of events operationalising the fund, we, as high-level champions, are working to establish sources of personal finance and funding for loss and harm. At COP28, we’re working to focus on the actions non-state actors and non-party stakeholders are already taking to deal with local weather loss and harm, or actions after impacts.
These actions want to deal with all losses and damages from excessive local weather occasions and gradual onset modifications together with harm to our economies, tradition, heritage, well being and ecosystems – these all do have an financial worth.
“
At COP28, it’s crucial that we see an consequence on the operationalisation of the Loss and Injury fund and its funding preparations… A precedence might be to make sure early pledges to this fund, and to encourage others to comply with.
Since COP27, the world appears to be extra targeted on local weather adaptation funding than accelerating mitigation. What does this present in regards to the world group’s curiosity in preserving world warming beneath 1.5°C? Are we too late?
There isn’t a doubt that we should enhance motion on local weather adaptation, as folks the world over are already experiencing the devastating results of a warming world. This is the reason we’re seeing an elevated deal with adaptation together with the launch of the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda at COP28.
This isn’t in stead of an acceleration of motion on mitigation – which is crucial if we’re to maintain world warming beneath 1.5°C and keep away from elevated impacts. We will need to have each elevated motion on mitigation and adaptation.
For instance, via nature-based options, now we have the chance to deal with each mitigation and adaptation via the conservation, restoration and sustainable administration of ecosystems. Concurrently, we will save time and cash, as most nature-based options are cheaper and sooner than human engineered options.
Nature is aware of what it’s doing. Already, it captures greater than half of all human-sourced emissions. If applied at scale, nature-based options may contribute as much as 37 per cent of the local weather mitigation efforts we have to meet the requirements set by the Paris Settlement by 2030.
Take for instance, the 17,000-acre Mangrove Nationwide Park in my house metropolis of Abu Dhabi. This space acts as an efficient carbon sink, and is an instance of an area initiative that’s contributing to world efforts to mitigate local weather change.
On the identical time, we’re already seeing the optimistic contributions that nature-based options can have on impacted communities. For instance, a restored oyster reef off the coast of southern Bangladesh helps native folks change into extra resilient to rising sea ranges. Equally, replenished wetlands in Nepal present safety in opposition to floods and droughts.
Nevertheless, we all know that nature-based options usually are not a common treatment within the struggle in opposition to local weather change. We should proceed to put money into the enlargement of each renewable power and inexperienced transportation, and sadly, we’re lagging behind on each. Nonetheless, I’m assured that the International Stocktake will assist get us again on monitor to deal with these gaps.
Do you suppose we’re getting ready sufficient for a submit -1.5°C world?
We should be sincere with ourselves and the International Stocktake is telling us we’re off monitor. We all know from the sixth IPCC evaluation report that the temperature has already elevated by 1.1°C. If we wish to stay beneath a 1.5°C enhance, we should step up our efforts.
We have to leverage nature-based options to speed up progress and assist us scale and stage up our improvements to realize 37 per cent of the mitigation necessities we have to hold 1.5°C alive. However we’d like cash to realize this – we’re going to have to triple our annual investments in nature by 2030 in an effort to sort out the local weather, biodiversity loss and land degradation crises.
“
We should be sincere with ourselves and the International Stocktake is telling us we’re off monitor.
How do you’re feeling in regards to the state of worldwide local weather affairs right this moment?
As we see local weather catastrophes making the headlines extra usually, it’s clear that we should deal with the pressing problem of rising temperatures. We nonetheless have the chance to show the tide in addressing local weather change, particularly with the implementation of nature-based options, which is able to assist our planet heal and thrive. However we have to act now and as a worldwide group.
As I at all times say, local weather change is a whole-of-society downside, and it requires a whole-of-society resolution.
With the COP28 platform, we’re embracing the facility of nature to fight local weather change and create a extra sustainable future. By championing biodiversity, supporting native communities, and fostering monetary commitments, we will make a profound distinction. We sit up for a profitable COP28 that leads to a selected and achievable motion plan for constructing a more healthy and extra resilient world.
