New COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber opened this year's UN climate summit on Thursday, calling on countries and fossil fuel companies to work together to achieve global climate goals, UNN reports citing Reuters.
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Governments are preparing for marathon talks on whether to agree, for the first time, to phase out the world's use of CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas, the main source of warming emissions.
Jaber, who is also the CEO of the United Arab Emirates' national oil company ADNOC, aimed to strike a conciliatory tone after months of criticism over his appointment as COP28 chair.
In his opening remarks, Jaber acknowledged that there are "strong opinions on the idea of including language on fossil fuels and renewable energy in the text under discussion... I ask you to work together."
"It is important that no issue is left out. And yes, as I said, we must look for ways to ensure that the role of fossil fuels is included," he said.
The summit chairman touted his country's decision to "proactively engage" with fossil fuel companies and noted that many national oil companies have endorsed targets for zero emissions by 2050
"I am grateful that they have joined this momentous journey," Jaber said. - "But I have to say, it's not enough, and I know they can do much more.
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As the UN Climate Conference got underway, delegates hoped to score a quick win on the disaster relief fund. The COP28 presidency issued a proposal on Wednesday evening for countries to formally endorse plans for a new UN fund for poor countries hit by climate disasters, such as extreme flooding or prolonged drought. An early breakthrough on the fund could help "grease the wheels" for other compromises to be reached during the two-week summit, the newspaper notes.
Some diplomats expressed hope that the draft agreement on the fund would be approved quickly, with one delegate calling the possibility of objections at this stage "opening Pandora's box." The agreement was reached after months of intense negotiations involving rich and developing countries.
The creation of the fund allows rich countries to start contributing money to it, and countries including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands are expected to announce contributions over the next few days, European diplomats told Reuters.
The European Union has pledged a "significant" contribution, but wants countries whose economies have boomed in recent decades, such as China and the UAE, to follow suit.
"Everyone who has the capacity to pay should contribute," said European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, who said he wanted to "broaden the donor base beyond the usual players, simply because it reflects the reality of 2023."
Another important task at the summit will be for countries to assess their progress toward global climate goals - mainly the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
This process, known as global stocktaking, should lead to a high-level plan that will tell countries what they need to do.