COP28 president-designate urges G20 to lead climate action

DUBAI -- COP28 President-Designate Sultan Al Jaber on Friday called on the Group of 20 nations to take a leadership role in mitigating climate change, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) official news agency WAM reported.

Al Jaber, also the UAE's special envoy for climate change, made the call at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting held in Chennai, India, said the report.

Noting that the G20 economies account for around 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Jaber said decisions made by the group could "have a huge influence on outcomes for everyone" and therefore urged G20 nations to drive actions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Jaber also urged solidarity and cooperation among all parties toward scaling up renewable energy, comprehensively decarbonizing the energy system, and building a system free of fossil fuels.

The president-designate highlighted the importance of making progress on adaptation, a key part of the Paris Agreement, reiterating the need to "move the needle on adaptation finance," which is merely around 10 percent of that allocated for mitigation.

In the three-day meeting, the G20 major nations failed to agree on concrete targets to mitigate emissions, with disputes lingering over carbon budgets, historical emissions, net-zero goals, and financing for developing countries, according to a document issued by organizers on Friday.

The meeting had been considered a chance for the G20 to make pragmatic steps ahead of the COP28 Summit in the UAE in November.