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By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

The countdown to the biggest climate conference of the year is upon us, with this year’s 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) set to kick off in just two days. Today’s newsletter will give you the lowdown on the main players and their interests.

COP28 is taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Thursday, Nov. 30, until Tuesday, Dec. 12. Click here for some key moments in the history of the climate talks. 

Before diving into who’s in attendance, let’s run through who isn’t showing up. 

U.S. President Joe Biden will not be attending. Reuters reported last month that Biden was unlikely to be at COP28 as he balances demands of a Middle East war and a presidential campaign expected to heat up in January.

China’s President Xi Jinping will also not be there.

An invitation was extended to Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, but a member of the Syrian delegation told Reuters that Prime Minister Hussein Arnous would lead the ministerial delegation. They did not say whether Assad would take part.

Here’s what’s on my radar today:

• Key issues at the UN climate change conference
• The main players and negotiating blocs involved at COP28 
• COP28: Spotlight on turning methane pledges into action

Climate activists disguised as CEOs of oil firms in a fake banquet celebrating profits, in call on states taking part in COP28 climate conference. Paris, France. REUTERS/Manuel Ausloos

World leaders including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are expected to attend and make speeches on Dec. 1-2. 

Other big wigs include King Charles III, Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry, The Pope, United Nations secretary general António Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bill Gates and activist Vanessa Nakate.

Ruslan Edelgeriev, special presidential envoy for climate change of the Russian Federation, is also expected to attend.

There will be around 70,000 campaigners, business chiefs, lobby groups and indigenous communities. 

Rising temperatures: The main task at COP28 is a first-time assessment of countries’ progress towards meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting the global temperature rise to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius, while aiming for 1.5C.

Fossil fuels: The toughest talks at COP28 may focus on the future role of fossil fuels, and whether countries should commit to start phasing out the use of CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas.

The UAE and other countries whose economies are dependent on fossil fuels want COP28 to include a focus on nascent technologies designed to capture and store CO2 emissions underground.

Finance: Developing countries will need at least $200 billion every year by 2030 to adapt to worsening climate impacts like coastal sea rise and storms, according to the U.N.

Additionally, they will need funding to help replace polluting energy with clean sources. There are also the costs of the damage already being caused by climate disasters.

In climate negotiations, China argues that wealthy developed countries like the United States, the biggest historical CO2 emitter, should move first and fastest in climate policy and finance.

China is also supporting the Group of 77, which is a coalition of 135 developing countries focused on addressing issues that affect the needs of the Global South.

The U.S. and EU are now asking others to join a COP28 pledge to triple renewable capacity this decade.

The U.S. – the world’s biggest oil and gas producer – also supports a COP28 move calling to phase out the use of CO2-emitting fossil fuels.

But U.S. delegates will face pressure for climate finance after Washington pledged no new climate cash to the U.N. this year. The U.S. supports creating a new fund to help poor countries deal with climate-caused damage, but wants the deal to make clear no country will be obliged to pay into it.

BASIC – Brazil, South Africa, India and China – make up this bloc of populous, fast-developing countries. Each has asked for more climate financing and equity through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concept of “common but differentiated responsibilities” – meaning rich countries that emitted the most historically should do more to address the problem.

Ancestral links tie the family of Britain’s new king to slaveholding right up to the nation’s abolition of the institution in the 1830s. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS

Helena Leurent, director general of global advocacy group Consumers International, shares her thoughts on COP28 and the future of consumer-friendly renewables:

“The global energy system is unfair – leaving consumers dependent on expensive, polluting fossil fuels. COP28 is our opportunity to demand a radical shift.

“It’s time to replace the centralized fossil fuel model with a consumer-focused approach, allowing people to generate, store, and use renewable energy at home.

“Despite renewables being the cheapest power source, most consumers are missing out on the benefits. 

“Empowering households to use solar panels, batteries, and smart meters can significantly reduce bills and emissions, restructuring energy production into a fairer, cleaner and greener system.

“In 2022 alone, 36 million households installed solar panels globally. This represented a 49% increase in the world’s total rooftop solar capacity.

“Accelerating the people-powered energy revolution, which puts energy into the hands of consumers, is key to protecting both people and the planet.”

Delegates at this year’s U.N. COP28 climate summit are anxious to boost the world’s climate change agenda with concrete plans for clamping down on the second-most prominent greenhouse gas – methane.

While more than 150 countries have promised since 2021 to slash their methane emissions 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 under the U.S.- and EU-led Global Methane Pledge, few have detailed how they will achieve this. Click here for the full feature by Reuters climate and energy journalist Valerie Volcovici.

Staff members work at a desk next to an exhibition for Shenzhen’s metro carbon inclusion scheme, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China . REUTERS/David Kirton

From carbon coins in China to hydropower plans in Mozambique, today’s spotlight shines a light on the initiatives being implemented around the world to reduce carbon emissions and transition to clean energy.

At a gleaming new metro station on the edge of Shenzhen, the local government is promoting “carbon coins” to commuters to earn and trade for shopping vouchers and travel cards in a push to get households to join China’s fight against climate change.

The southeastern city’s “Carbon Road for Everyone” scheme, which rewards people for logging their use of public transport, is one of dozens around China encouraging citizens to ditch cars, plant trees and cut energy use.

The programmes are part of the government’s campaign to mobilize the whole of society, not just industry, to transform the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter into a carbon-neutral country by 2060.

Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Mozambique has approved an ambitious new energy transition plan until 2050, hoping to attract investments of some $80 billion to boost renewable energy capacity and increase electricity availability, a senior energy official said.

Priority plans between next year and 2030 include adding 2,000 megawatts of new hydropower capacity by upgrading existing plants and completing the new Mphanda Nkuwa hydro project, expanding the national electricity grid and switching to electric vehicles to reduce emissions from the transport sector.

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi is expected to officially present the energy strategy to international partners and potential donors on Dec. 2 during the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai.

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