COP 28: Acknowledge your failures, Al-Jaber tells nations

The incoming president of COP28, Sultan al-Jaber, emphasized the need for countries to confront the reality of their lagging progress on climate change targets and establish a comprehensive plan to catch up.

Addressing climate ministers and officials from various nations in Brussels, Al-Jaber called for an honest assessment of the gaps that need to be addressed, identifying their root causes and acknowledging the current state of affairs.

Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of the upcoming summit in Dubai, stating that it should also focus on setting global objectives to triple renewable energy, double energy savings, and boost hydrogen production by 2030.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a climate and energy think and do tank based in Kenya, said: "The COP28 President is right to be pushing countries to raise their climate targets by September. The hard truth is that nations are off track in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and we need them to be moving much faster.  People who have contributed almost nothing to the climate crisis in terms of their emissions are suffering and dying while polluting nations drag their feet."