COP28 Dispatch

What Congress Needs to Know from Dubai

Welcome! And that is a wrap on COP28!

COP28 concluded today after two intensive weeks of negotiations, complemented by thousands of climate-related events that took place throughout Dubai.

Packaged as a part of the “UAE Consensus,” the agreement on the global stocktake includes language on transitioning away from fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero by 2050. This marks a critical milestone in UNFCCC history, though many agree that it is not forceful enough to prevent 1.5°C (2.7°F) of warming. Countries also adopted decisions on just transition pathways, the global goal on adaptation, the new collective quantified goal on climate finance, and loss and damage.

EESI President Daniel Bresette reflected on the outcome and path ahead for the U.S. in a media statement:

World leaders at COP28 have put us on course for decarbonized, clean energy by mid-century, which is essential to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C (2.7°F). The momentum for climate action is undeniable ...

The United States must demonstrate leadership by rapidly and fully implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacting new policies, and making new investments in equitable climate solutions that match the ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Read on for more information about the final package of decisions and responses from leaders in the U.S. and around the world.

This is the last issue of COP28 Dispatch. Thank you for joining us each day! To keep up with EESI’s coverage of climate, energy, and environmental issues all year round, subscribe to Climate Change Solutions.

Missed yesterday’s edition? Check it out here. We also compiled key COP28 announcements and reports throughout the conference.

Confused by COP terminology and acronyms? Check out EESI's glossary of terms and other helpful guides in the Resources section! Looking for more information, reach out to Anna at [email protected].

Key Takeaways for Congress

Paragraph 28 of the global stocktake text calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems.” (Negotiations)
Members of Congress shared their thoughts on decisions made at COP28’s conclusion, as well as on pathways forward. (Congress at COP28)
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry reiterated his confidence in the transition to a low-carbon economy, while calling for quicker action to achieve that transition. (U.S. Updates)
The U.S. and China highlighted their cooperation throughout the negotiations in the spirit of the Sunnylands Statement unveiled prior to COP28. (Around the World)

Negotiations

The final plenary at COP28 marks the closing of the conference.
Credit: Mike Muzurakis | IISD/ENB.

Final plenary: The final plenary of COP28 ran for six hours as countries adopted decisions and made statements. Opening the plenary, COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber declared that countries “delivered a comprehensive response to the global stocktake and all other mandates. Together, we have confronted realities and set the world in the right direction. We have given a robust action plan to keep 1.5 within reach.” The agreement, he continued, “is led by the science. It … tackles emissions, bridges the gap on adaptation, reimagines global finance, and delivers on loss and damage. It is built on common ground … strengthened by full inclusivity, and it is reinforced by collaboration.” In the coming days, Earth Negotiations Bulletin and CarbonBrief will both come out with comprehensive reports on the process and outcomes of COP28. Keep an eye out for those.
- EESI Briefing: What’s on the Table for the Negotiations

Package of decisions: While the critically important global stocktake text will generate the most attention in the coming days, negotiators agreed on a package of decisions, including on just transition pathways, the mitigation ambition and implementation work program, the global goal on adaptation, the new collective quantified goal on climate finance, and loss and damage. All decisions can be found here as they are processed.

Global stocktake decision: The final global stocktake decision is more ambitious than the previous draft. In what is likely to be the most-read segment of the text, paragraph 28 now calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science."
- On adaptation, the final global stocktake decision includes, in paragraphs 63a-g, language from the global goal on adaptation (GGA), which states the same seven targets listed in the GGA draft text two days ago: reducing climate-induced water scarcity, attaining climate-resilient food and agriculture production, strengthening resilience against climate-related health impacts, reducing climate impacts on ecosystems, increasing the resilience of infrastructure and human settlements, substantially reducing poverty and livelihood vulnerability, and protecting cultural heritage.
- On finance, paragraph 67 “highlights the growing gap between the needs of developing country Parties, in particular those due to the increasing impacts of climate change compounded by difficult macroeconomic circumstances, and the support provided and mobilized for their efforts to implement their nationally determined contributions, highlighting that such needs are currently estimated at USD 5.8 - 5.9 trillion for the pre-2030 period.” This paragraph cites the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance’s report, Determination of the needs of developing country Parties related to implementing the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
- Section IV, titled “Guidance and way forward,” focuses on the next round of NDCs, which are scheduled to be submitted ahead of COP30 in 2025 in Brazil. In line with the work on NDCs, countries decided in paragraph 191 that the Presidencies of COP28, 29, and 30 will work together to launch a “‘Road map to Mission 1.5’ … to stimulate ambition in the next round of nationally determined contributions, with a view to enhancing action and implementation over this critical decade and keeping 1.5°C within reach."
- EESI Briefing: The First Global Stocktake

Climate finance: The new collective quantified goal on climate finance is among the many decisions that address finance-related issues. The text lays out a plan for the next year in the lead-up to COP29, where countries are supposed to determine the next climate finance target (the first goal of this kind was $100 billion per year from developed countries by 2020). In 2024, country representatives and observers will participate in three technical expert dialogues to discuss information that could underpin the new goal. Following each of these technical meetings, negotiators will convene to develop the negotiating text. The new finance goal will likely be one of the most significant issues on the table for COP29.
- EESI Briefing: Congress and International Climate Finance

Loss and damage: Within loss and damage talks related to knowledge sharing and capacity building, countries reached an agreement that the secretariat of the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage will be housed within the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN Office for Project Services. Together, these offices will facilitate technical assistance to developing countries facing climate-related loss and damage. The UAE Consensus also includes the decision to operationalize the Loss and Damage fund, which countries agreed to on the first day of COP28. Countries pledged over $700 million to the fund over the course of the last two weeks.
- EESI Briefing: Climate Change Loss and Damage

Congress at COP28

Members of the Congressional delegation Reps. Diana DeGette
(D-Colo.), Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.),
Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) gather for a
photo op in Dubai. Credit: @USRepKCastor | X/Twitter.

Reactions and reflections: As negotiations concluded and COP28 drew to a close, some members of Congress shared their reactions to the final agreements:
- Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) via X/Twitter: “#COP28 has been extremely productive! The Conference of the Parties is the main decision-making body of the @UNFCCC, where representatives from nearly 200 countries gather annually to negotiate and make decisions on #Climate policies and actions. Each COP is an important event in the global #ClimateChange agenda and plays a crucial role in shaping international climate policy and fostering global cooperation to address the challenges of climate change.”
- Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) via press release: “As I return from the COP28 climate conference, I am buoyed by pledges to triple renewable energy, double energy efficiency and boost the ability of communities to deal with extreme heat and weather events. I witnessed America’s leadership in action as Biden Administration representatives rallied countries across the globe to go farther and faster on clean energy. Personally, I conveyed a sense of urgency to act following the hottest summer on record in Florida and as neighbors grapple with the escalating costs of air conditioning and property insurance.”
- Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) via X/Twitter: “At the Paris Climate Accords, countries around the world committed themselves to building a better, safer, and cleaner world. Eight years later, we must strive to uphold the spirit and goals of that agreement to protect the future for all of us.”
- Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) via press release: “At COP28, I called for a negotiated outcome that will send a clear signal to phase out fossil fuel consumption and production. But the United States can’t preach temperance from a bar stool, and right now, America is drunk on oil and gas production and exports. Unfortunately, we are not alone at the bar. OPEC and its cronies are wielding their influence over the negotiations to keep the fossil fuel spigot open. COP is at risk of being known as the Conference of Oil Pushers. It is more important than ever that the U.S. effectively leads on a clean energy future. We must build on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act, end approvals of new infrastructure for fossil fuels of the past, and keep our promise to end public financing of international unabated fossil fuel projects. It’s time to close the oil-soaked tab and invest in a clean energy future.”
- Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) via X/Twitter: “This #COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels is historic progress in our global fight against the climate crisis. It’s not perfect, but it sends a message to the world that we need to unite and take bold action to protect our planet's future.”
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) via X/Twitter: “Many people knew going into COP28 that we needed to transition away from fossil fuels. For many, saying this seems like little progress. But for states that have not previously recognized this inevitability and necessity, this amounts to a step forward….I am glad to see the nations of the world commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels, the combustion of which is severely harming our planet and all of humanity….But without action, statements and pledges that come out of COPs are mere words. What matters more are the atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and methane, which are still climbing….In order for COP28 to have truly mattered, the nations of the world must now legislate and enforce their laws consistent with their commitment to transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean economy.”

U.S. Updates

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China
Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua shared the stage
at a press conference as the COP28 plenary concluded to reflect
on cooperation over the course of the last two weeks.
Credit: UNFCCC.

State Department press conference: Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry hosted a press conference as the closing plenary concluded at COP28. He noted that for the first time at COP, “fossil fuels have been on the table as a major part of the negotiations. And this decision that came out clearly embraces transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems.” Kerry added that markets will continue to accelerate the transition. He also highlighted that the 1.5°C (2.7°F) goal is mentioned 13 times in the global stocktake text.

Kerry summed up his assessment of the progress made at COP28, stating, “I am convinced we will move to a low-carbon economy, globally, over time. I am not convinced yet that we will do so at the pace the scientists are telling us [is necessary] so that we avoid the worst consequences of the crisis. That is our challenge. Speed it up!”

He also discussed the need to make changes to international financial institutions, specifically highlighting some of the work underway at the World Bank to prioritize climate investments and help countries adapt to climate impacts. Speaking on climate progress outside the negotiations, Kerry highlighted the elevated attention on gender, health, peace, and food systems. He also applauded the bipartisanship displayed by members of Congress at COP28.

Around the World

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaking at a press
conference today on the outcomes of the negotiations.
Credit: UNFCCC.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell: At a press conference earlier today, Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said that “while we didn’t fully turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this is clearly the beginning of the end.” He also noted, however, that “the [negotiation] text leaves a lot of room for interpretation.” If all countries do not take on the most ambitious interpretation of the text, Stiell cautioned, “loopholes will leave us vulnerable to fossil fuel interests, which crush our ability to protect people everywhere against rising climate impacts.” He further stressed that “transparency and people holding their governments to account will be vital in closing these loopholes. This agreement is an ambitious floor, not a ceiling, so the crucial years ahead must keep ramping up ambitious climate action.” He assured the audience that “there were no objections to what was gavelled” and that the text “keeps ‘1.5’ alive”—but only if all countries follow the guidance laid out in the agreement. “We needed a green light,” Stiell concluded, but “we’ve got an amber light.”

China: Chinese Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua spoke about the collaboration between the U.S. and China ahead of COP28 to produce the Sunnylands Statement, which he described at a press conference alongside Special Envoy Kerry. He reemphasized the Sunnylands commitment that the U.S. and China will initiate a joint working group on climate change that will focus on the energy transition, circular economy, methane emission reductions, and subnational cooperation. The working group is designed to support both countries as they implement their NDCs. Both China and the U.S. have committed to reevaluating their respective long-term strategies on climate change to inform the next round of NDCs, which are due at COP30 in 2025. He also shared that during COP28, the two countries provided joint proposals throughout the negotiations to break deadlocks.

COP30 host country on the outcome of COP28: Brazilian Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva said that her country’s delegation worked hard until the very end of the negotiations to ensure alignment on a just transition away from fossil fuels, and she urged developed countries to take the lead on that transition. A fellow delegation member spoke on the importance for Brazil and other heavily forested nations of integrating forest issues in the final decisions.

Germany: German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock held a press conference on the final results of the negotiations, expressing satisfaction that all 198 countries reached a consensus. “This is not only a step for the end of the fossil age, but it is also a point for real climate justice,” Baerbock said. She also suggested that, despite hard work and collaboration, the final text is not as clear or as firm on fossil fuel energy as many had hoped. However, for Germany, the final text still represents a step in the right direction—away from fossil fuels. “We achieved two degrees and we will really try, now, our best to have climate justice,” she said.

Resources

EESI resources

Article series: Quick reads connecting international climate talks to Congress
Briefing series: What Congress Needs to Know About COP28
- Congress and International Climate Finance
- What's on the Table for the Negotiations?
- The First Global Stocktake
Climate Change Solutions: Bi-weekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues
COP28 Announcement Tracker: Key Announcements from the 2023 U.N. Climate Summit
COP28 Report Tracker: Key Climate Reports Launched at the 2023 U.N. Climate Summit
U.S. Leaders at COP28: Updates on Members of Congress and Other U.S. Officials at the 2023 U.N. Climate Summit
EESI's United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Glossary of Terms

Tracking the negotiations

CarbonBrief: Reporting and analysis on the U.N. climate talks, with in-depth tracking of country positions in the negotiations
COP28 Resource Hub: World Resources Institute's extensive set of resources on the climate negotiations
Earth Negotiations Bulletin: A play-by-play of the negotiations, plus expert analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development
ECO Newsletter: The climate advocate’s perspective from Climate Action Network International

Background and logistics

U.A.E. COP28 Presidency website: Priorities, details, and logistics for the negotiations from this year’s host country
UNFCCC COP28 website: Conference details and all updates on documents produced during the negotiations
Congressional Research Service: Reports related to the UNFCCC

Questions about COP28?

Reach out to EESI Policy Manager Anna McGinn with your questions. We will get back to you or include the information in an upcoming newsletter.

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Staff contributors: Daniel Bresette, Molly Brind’Amour, Alison Davis, Amaury Laporte, Anna McGinn, and Nicole Pouy

About EESI

EESI is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges to achieve a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world. Founded on a bipartisan basis by members of Congress, EESI has been informing policymakers about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental conservation since 1984.

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