— President Ali tells global conference

ALTHOUGH discussions on climate change have been happening for decades, practical solutions to address the challenges brought on by the phenomena have been lacking and its only through realistic solutions can global targets be achieved, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.

The Guyanese Head-of-State in his address to world leaders at this year’s 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai on Friday, said that for far too long the climate debate has been dominated by the past.

“I did not come here to restate the climate challenges the world faces. Instead, I want to urge us all to reflect on how we can meet these challenges.

“We need to recognise that climate action cannot be to the detriment of the world’s developing countries and poorest people,” President Ali added.

Some 170 world leaders are attending this year’s COP in Dubai to solidify strategies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, an international treaty which covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance.

“COP 28 will not achieve the desired objectives of definitively putting our planet on a net zero trajectory, if we continue to address this matter in a doctrinarian way, ignoring the current realities,” he said.

WHAT IS NET ZERO?
Ultimately, the goal of leaders and other stakeholders at COP is to establish definitive solutions which will see the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the earth’s atmosphere being balanced by the amount removed; this is what is commonly referred to as net zero.

To reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, many things are needed. These include switching to energy sources or materials that emit less carbon, often from high carbon-emitting fossil fuels and by counteracting any carbon that is emitted.

President Ali posited that a clear balance is what needs to be established.

“I believe that net zero by 2050 as a target can only be achieved by a combination of measures that include,” Dr. Ali said.

He added: “A reduction in the fossil fuel production and the removal of large polluters out of the supply chain.”

The Guyanese Head of State believes through measures, leaders can confront climate change, energy and food crises to achieve sustainable goals.

Thus leaders must debate on establishing just, orderly and affordable solutions to transition away from excessive fossil fuel and make climate finance accessible for the developing world.

“If the debate at COP 28 is framed by two camps: One calling for no cuts in fossil fuel production, including the most polluting form such as coal, and the other saying that the only solution to net zero is an end to fossil fuel production, then we will fail once again to achieve a viable outcome, and not to give our world the energy it needs to grow and prosper,” President Ali told world leaders.