South Africa adopts COP28 agreement on fossil fuels
South Africa has welcomed the landmark decision to adopt a Global Goal on Adaptation at the COP28 summit in Dubai Climate on Wednesday.
The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy says the agreement has measurable targets that are timebound.
"The decision recognises different theme areas for adaptation action, it has measurable targets that are time bound. It also recognises the importance of securing adequate public finance for adaptation from developed countries. This is a big step forward."
This after nearly 200 nations approved a first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels, the top culprit of climate change behind a planetary crisis.
After 13 days of talks and another sleepless night in a country built on oil wealth, the Emirati leadership of the COP28 summit banged a gavel to signal the world had reached consensus.
"You did step up, you showed flexibility, you put common interest ahead of self-interest," said COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, whose role as head of the United Arab Emirates' national oil company raised suspicion among many environmentalists.
In a statement, Creecy said that the language in the Global Stocktake, which recognises and underscores that the impacts of climate change will be much lower at the temperature increase of 1.5 degrees compared with 2 degrees.
"Throughout our facilitation of the Global Stocktake, South Africa emphasised that climate ambition must be balanced across mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation. We also emphasised that equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities should underpin all asks on developing countries.
"Accordingly, South Africa welcomes the decisions on the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, Just Transition Pathways work programme, the Mitigation Work Programme and the Global Goal on Adaptation.
"These decisions are in line with our national framework on Just Transition, in particular the recognition of a country's right to pursue its climate resilience path in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication," said Creecy.
"For the first time we have language which calls for transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.
"COP28 has adopted a decision, co-facilitated by South Africa, to implement the new work programme on just transition pathways.
"The decision underscores the importance of finance, technology development and transfer and capacity building support to achieve just and equitable transitions, nationally and globally."
