COP28 should bring all parties under the umbrella of eco-civilization

Editor's note: Stephen Ndegwa, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is the Executive Director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

World leaders, business executives and environmentalists have been trooping to the United Arab Emirates for the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) that started on November 30.

The continued use of carbon fuels clearly depicts the predicament facing the world in the fight against climate change. According to the International Energy Agency, more than $1 trillion in new funding was invested in the fuel sector this year alone. According to "The 2023 production gap report: Phasing down or phasing up" released on November 8, some of the signatories to the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that commits them to net-zero emissions, plan to produce about 110 percent more fossil fuels by 2030.

But this is inevitable. While the COVID-19 pandemic showed us that we can transact business virtually, we also learned that it is not possible to completely eradicate the human element. The resumption of normalcy and opening of international borders witnessed a surge in social and economic activities globally, including full reactivation of trade and industrial supply chains.

It is not possible to close all fuel guzzling machineries and immediately replace them with green technology. Even with the bleak scenarios depicted above, there are no quick fix solutions to fighting climate change. People must continue to be encultured to a carbon free world.

Indeed, fighting climate change has become more than an environmental and legal issue. There is now an equal focus on the moral obligation of leaders to save humanity from the vagaries of environmental destruction. The holding of COP 28 in one of the world's major oil producers is strategic. The move focuses public attention on one of the major contributors to the world's carbon footprint since their products are exported to be consumed globally. 

It is also the reason why the COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, is also the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). We cannot continue isolating petroleum producing countries as "enemies of humanity." Like the rest of global industries, fossil fuels are fully entrenched in industrial production and need cost effective replacements to be completely phased in.

In an article published by Justin Worland in Time magazine on November 15, Al Jaber, who was previously a renewable energy executive, does not sound like someone who is in denial. "A phasedown of fossil fuels is inevitable, it is essential," he says. "We have to accept that." However, he observes that the world is not yet ready to totally eradicate fossil fuels at this stage "before we build a new energy system."

The answer to the current predicament can be found in the concept of eco-civilization. In January China released a white paper on its green development. The paper shows the country's commitment to the green development path, and the country's global advocacy on climate governance.

The white paper is aimed at giving hope to a world that is on the brink, as the major developed economies dilly dally on their commitments to curbing their carbon emissions. The paper also exposes these countries' weaponization of the global climate agenda as a way of fostering their hegemonic power by understanding strong developing economies.

Titled "China's Green Development in the New Era," the white paper contains seven chapters looking at China's commitment to a green development path, green territorial configuration, industrial structure's further optimization, mechanism for green development, and international cooperation outreach.

The foregoing is aimed at meeting China's pledge of striving to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the 2020 United Nations General Assembly. The country also promised to become carbon neutral by 2060. Experts say that there is no need for sceptics to question or doubt China's commitment or capacity to achieve these two targets within a relatively short time frame. It took just four-odd decades for the country to industrialize, an unprecedented and enviable feat even for developed countries.

The concept of "Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization" is China's lighthouse on its stated path towards green development. The concept is based on the relationship between human beings and nature, environmental protection and economic development, and the environment and people's well-being. It seeks to achieve green development by promoting sustainable development with green technologies, especially clean, renewable energy.

Fighting climate change is an inclusive process, which the COP28 aims to achieve. Isolating perceived and real major polluters will only serve to delay concerted actions by all actors in agreeing on a universal climate action. As shown by China's eco civilization principles, climate action cannot wait any longer. Like China, every country must bring to the table clear deliverables with specific timelines towards net zero emissions.

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