Will COP28 UAE shape climate justice amid clash between urgency and economic realities in global climate action?

Climate change has posed enormous challenges to the global planet, making the world community susceptible to various socio-economic and environmental hazards owing to global warming and depleting resources that could be perilous for humanity. The international community must awaken and assume the shared responsibility to stave off the climate imbroglio. Moreover, the contours of the post-capitalistic consumption-oriented market economy, unless redefined in the backdrop of climate-resilient development, would gradually disrupt the global supply chains, causing a crisis of survivability for the most vulnerable regions. Hence, there is an urgent need for a revolutionary transformation of the entire ecosystem and an instantaneous and sustained reduction of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to ‘limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.’ Moreover, the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held at Expo City, Dubai, under the UAE’s Presidency from 30 November to 12 December, 2023, is a determined initiative to combat climate change and direct a collective effort to achieve the desired objectives. India, ‘the voice of the global south,’ is leading in addressing these challenges. The main aim of this exercise is to save the planet Earth. India and the UAE thrust upon clean energy, climate finance, green credit programmes and low-carbon solutions to augment growth and development. In the green credit programme, the focus is essentially on the private sector investment in green projects. The immediacy of this initiative, along with a host of others, indicates the urgency of addressing climate-related crises. India has been at the forefront of addressing the challenges of climate change at the bilateral and multilateral levels. India enunciated the Panchamrit (five nectars) paradigm to combat climate change and environmental degradation at the Glasgow Conference 2021. It intended to increase non-fossil reliance up to 500GW by 2030, increase dependencies on renewable energy sources by at least 50 per cent by 2030, decrease carbon emission by one billion tonnes, minimise carbon intensity to a substantive degree, and achieve net zero emissions by 2070. This climate blueprint indicates clarity of intention and determinacy to act. India co-hosts the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) with Sweden. This joint enterprise aims to make the industrial sector carbon-negative or low-carbon exercise. Correspondingly, India and France, who crystallised the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the UN climate change conference in Paris, could also be crucial to fighting the impending climate crisis. In this respect, the conglomerate of ‘Sunshine countries,’ specifically, ‘the global south’ located around the tropics, could harness their renewable energy potentials through cutting-edge technologies and solar photovoltaic systems, paving the way for climate justice architecture in the long term. In the context of environmental protectionism, India also introduced the concept of LIFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) to the world. India remains firm on its commitment and makes a desired move in this direction to reduce CO2 emissions by increasing its reliance on alternative energy resources. Climate finance is another domain that needs definitive attention to work effectively on environmental conservation. India has made several efforts to curb climate change. It includes international solar alliance, LED bulb distribution, electric vehicles, new technologies for climate resilient economy adoption, green energy projects, green hydrogen, green ammonia, biomass, and ethanol for energy, feedstock, and energy conservation. These are the most remarkable initiatives taken up by India to stick to its commitment. Despite these measures, there are some constraints India and its global south partners experience on account of their apparent commitment to climate protectionism. The Global South should be given space or leeway to achieve growth standards. On the contrary, the global north ought to take up the mantle of pioneering environmental safety by action through restrictions on its manufacturing and industry sectors. Preaching will not solve the problem. Given the gravity of the crisis, the determined and dedicated effort will present some positive results. The core commitment of COP28 is to conceptualise a sustainable socio-economic model that will substantively decouple itself from conventional reliance on the fossil-related energy model. A new paradigm of development based on climate friendliness is the special focus of COP28. But the idea of securing a green economy is a distant reality. The discussions on climate change and its impacts on vulnerable countries get embroiled in the global north and south divide. The accusations and counter-accusations could be more productive and make discussions on climate change a casualty. The transition into new technology and a new economic framework requires a massive overhaul of the existing structures. The expenses involved in this process of overhaul become the bone of contention. The south looks at the north, and the north is full of ambiguities. The concern for climate change is a big buzz, but it takes no time to fall into a fiasco. The world seems divided over the issues of climate change. When one side remains unaffected by the worsening effects of climate change, the other is full of finer intentions, but the action on the ground is not impressive. If the UAE, which hosts COP28, decouples from fossil reliance, its economy will experience a nosedive. Therefore, it is essential to see what comes from this international gathering. Hopefully, something definitive will be onboard, and the world shall see some shift in the global concerns towards climate change. Moreover, climate justice is a significant area that COP28 ought to look at to minimise climate-related vulnerabilities. There are non-industrial countries in the global south that have seen the dangers of climate change and experienced the pain of displacement and dislocation. The industrial countries ought to accept accountability for these disasters and contribute to climate financing to make the necessary redressal. It is also important to focus on the aspects of cutting-edge technology that will facilitate environmental recovery. The extent to which the damage has been made, technology can reset things in less time. It is also equally important to notice how the Gulf countries, under the leadership of the UAE, accept the reduction of fossil fuel dependencies. Gas and oil are the primary economic resources for the Gulf countries. To decouple from the fossil economy will not be an easier option for them to see their economy take a profound toll. No doubt, the Gulf countries are trying to diversify their economic space. Can this diversification model be a befitting replacement for the Gulf’s reliance on fossil? It is, however, very promising to see the UAE taking up the leadership mantle to discuss the climate crisis and find ways to curb it. The discussions on climate change and global warming have unequivocally acquired unceasing regularity. However, naysayers still see conspiracy in the climate crisis and efforts to check the Anthropocene have not been impressive. Dr Jajati K Pattnaik is an Associate Professor at the Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Dr Chandan K Panda is an Assistant Professor at Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.