Narayan Ghimire*
Kathmandu, Nov 29: As the stage is all set in Dubai for the annual UN climate conference, COP28, the global community is eagerly waiting to hear the discussions, debates and negotiations on climate change.
It is the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Thousands of people representing governments and climate science, environment, conservation, policy, research, corporate, among others are gathering in Dubai while similar number observe it virtually.
Various climate communities and blocs are flaring their voices and concerns on the eve of the global event. Among these, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) is the group hit hard by the climate change and urging the developed and wealthy countries for compensation. Reasoning their negligible role on greenhouse gas emission, and financial constraints, the LDCs are reiterating the need that leading GHG emitters deliver on old promises.
The developed countries had committed climate finance for the developing countries- for adaptation and mitigation, but implementation was/is bleak, causing severe and constant concern. During the COP15, the developed countries had committed to jointly mobilize 100 billion dollar per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries.
The LDC Group Ministerial Declaration issued in September earlier called on ‘developed country Parties to present a clear road map on delivery of at least doubling adaptation finance delivered by 2025, through public, grant based finance’.
Similarly, presenting priorities for the LDCs in the COP28, a briefing prepared by the International Institute for Environment and Development stated that four LDC concerns can reinvigorate progress towards the Paris Agreement goals: an ambitious conclusion to the Global Stocktake; adoption of a framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA); operationalisation and swift capitalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund; and rebuilding trust on climate finance to enable headway towards the new collective quantified goal.
Similarly, during the programmes organized in the country on the run up to the COP28, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has stressed that it is time to claim rights- the compensation for loss and damage caused by the climate change. PM Dahal is leaving for Dubai, UAE tomorrow, leading the Nepali delegation to the COP 28 being held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.
He is scheduled to attend the high-level segment of the COP 28-World Climate Action Summit that runs from December 1 to 2. Similarly, he will be delivering a national statement on ‘Call of the Mountain: Who Saves us from the Climate Crisis?’ on December 2 on the side line to raise voice of Nepal on climate change as well as promote mountain agenda in the COP negotiation process.
Mr Ghimire is a Senior Editor at National News Agency (RSS), Nepal.
