Pledges made at the COP28 climate talks

Scientists drive their snowmobiles cross the arctic towards Kongsfjord during sunset, Svalbard, Norway. (Photo: Reuters/Lisi Niesner)

DUBAI: COP28, hosted by the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, mobilised a flurry of voluntary pledges in the lead-up to its landmark final deal calling for a "transition away" from fossil fuels. 

The two weeks of negotiations saw over $85 billion dollars and 11 pledges and declarations committed to climate action, the COP28 presidency said Tuesday (Dec 12).

Here are some of the biggest developments.

Loss and damage

COP28 saw the launch of the "loss and damage" fund to help vulnerable countries cope with the increasingly costly and damaging impacts of climate disasters.

The fund reached around US$792 million dollars in pledges during the talks, according to the COP28 presidency. 

That still falls short of the US$100 billion a year that developing nations have said is needed to cover losses from natural disasters and rising seas.

Meanwhile, the Green Climate Fund, focused on supporting developing countries in their climate action, saw a boost of US$3.5 billion to its second replenishment, with a US$3 billion promise from the United States.

Tripling renewables

One hundred and thirty-two countries committed to tripling renewable energy capacity worldwide by 2030 and doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements.The pledge was included in the final outcome of the talks in a substantial win for its supporters. 

FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2015, file photo, environmentalist activists form a human chain representing the peace sign and the spelling out "100% renewable", on the side line of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (AP PhotoMichel Euler, File)

Fossil fuels 

The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) picked up more than 10 new members during the talks - including the US and the UAE. Over 80 per cent of OECD and EU countries are now committed to the alliance.  

Colombia became one of the largest fossil fuel producers to join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a movement led by climate-vulnerable island nations to end new development of coal, oil and gas.

More than 100 cities and subnational governments also came together to call for the treaty, but they were ultimately dismayed.  

"Having the words 'fossil fuels' in the text is an important political signal, but it's a far cry from the 'historic' outcome we were all calling for," said the initiative's Executive Director Alex Rafalowicz, in a statement Tuesday. 

Tripling nuclear

More than 20 countries led by the US called for the tripling of the world's nuclear energy capacity by 2050. While nuclear generates almost no greenhouse gases, the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 dealt it a severe blow. 

But experts and activists point to the fact that new nuclear plants can take decades to come online, while building renewable energy is significantly faster.

Food and farming

Nearly 160 countries agreed to prioritise food and agriculture systems in their national climate plans. 

The non-binding declaration was welcomed by observers, with food systems estimated to be responsible for roughly a third of human-made greenhouse gases.

But some criticised it for lacking concrete goals -- and for not mentioning fossil fuels or signalling any shift to more sustainable diets. 

Healthy future?

Over 140 countries signed a declaration to "place health at the heart of climate action". It called for governments to step up action on climate-related health impacts like extreme heat, air pollution and infectious diseases.

Almost nine million people a year die from polluted air, while 189 million are exposed to extreme weather-related events.

Cooling pledge

More than 60 nations committed to reducing emissions of energy-guzzling cooling equipment - such as air conditioners and refrigerators - by at least 68 per cent globally by 2050. 

The voluntary pledge also aims to provide more sustainable cooling measures for an additional 3.5 billion people struggling with rising temperatures.

UAE climate investment fund

The UAE said it was putting US$30 billion into a new private climate investment fund. 

The fund, called Alterra, would partly try to focus on climate projects in the developing world, and hoped to stimulate investments totalling US$250 billion by 2030.

This article was originally published on ChannelNewsAsia. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.