Dubai- Elmahjoub Dasaa
to ensure a just transition to stop global warming and save humanity. Simon Steele was speaking on Thursday, November 30, 2023, in Dubai before the annual UN climate change conference opened.
“If we do not signal the final decline of the fossil fuel era as we know it, then we are preparing for the final decline of our time,” said Simon Steele.
For several years, the world has called for a more inclusive and equitable process that would equally impact those on the margins. Simon Steele said all current efforts, including women, indigenous peoples, and young people, must be fair. To him, this is the only way to ensure transformation benefits everyone.
Simon Steele shared that by 2024, countries will be expected to submit a biennial transparency report to demonstrate how inclusive their processes are.
“This will mean that the reality of individual progress cannot be hidden,” he stressed.
At COP29, expected to be hosted by a European country, parties of the UNFCCC are expected to agree on how to finance the actions decided upon.
He pointed out that at the beginning of 2025, countries must submit new nationally determined contributions, calling on States Parties to start working on these contributions.
Regarding the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) expected to be held in Brazil, the UN official stressed that every commitment – on financing, adaptation, and mitigation – must be consistent with 1.5 degrees. He noted that science says we still have about six years before the planet’s capacity faces emissions.
Simon Steele called on state parties to act responsibly to speed things up, stressing transparency in procedures and decisions.
This article was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) program, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
