Israel’s assault on Gaza resumes the day after the summit reaches an agreement over a long-sought rehabilitation fund.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged world leaders at the COP28 climate summit to plan for a future without fossil fuels, emphasizing that curbing global warming cannot be achieved any other way.
Guterres countered COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber’s proposal to continue using fossil fuels, stating, “We cannot save a burning planet with a fire hose of fossil fuels.”
He further stressed, “The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce. Not abate,” and referred to emerging technologies to capture and store carbon emissions.
An agreement was forged for the establishment of a “loss and damage fund” to assist poor countries in enduring the impacts of climate change, predominantly caused by the fossil fuel consumption of affluent countries that have generated a majority of cumulative emissions.
However, despite the long-standing demand for such a fund from developing nations, only $700m was allocated to it, yet poor countries have been adamant that $100bn is required.
These developments led to the resignation of a member from a developing nation on the summit’s main advisory board, amid reports that the host, the United Arab Emirates, intended to secure commercial oil and gas production deals during the event.
Anger over Gaza war
Some world leaders criticized Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, deviating from the unspoken agreement to avoid politics at UN climate summits.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza, while an Israeli official defended the military’s actions as abiding by international law and aiming to dismantle Hamas.
“South Africa is appalled by the cruel tragedy that is under way in Gaza. The war against the innocent people of Palestine is a war crime that must be ended now,” Ramaphosa stated.
As tensions rise over the conflict in Gaza, Guterres emphasized the immense suffering and emotion caused by conflicts and expressed profound disappointment at the resumption of bombings in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hadeel Ikhmais, a climate change expert with the Palestinian Authority, questioned the purpose of negotiations amidst a genocide.
Notably, Israeli President Isaac Herzog canceled a scheduled speech following harsh criticism of Israel’s heavy bombardment of Gaza by other world leaders, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro describing it as “genocide and barbarism unleashed on the Palestinian people”.
