OVER 800 LEADERS UNITE FOR A 1.5°C PLAN AT COP28

Yusuf Akinlotan

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As COP28 UN climate Change summit enters its second week in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, over 800 leaders have written a letter to COP28 President, Sultan Al Jaber to support the delivery of a 1.5°C-aligned outcome at the UN climate conference.

Amongst the over 800 signatories are 300+ CEOs, 30+ financiers, 240+ NGOs, 70+ scientists, as well as mayors, governors, investors, Indigenous peoples, health professionals, young people, faith leaders, and athletes.

According to the signatories, the world and its people need the strongest possible outcome to keep 1.5°C degrees within reach. But delivering on this historic task requires the stakeholders to act like a team.

They believed the signals of transformation across sectors and society are all around . At the same time, the climate emergency is biting harder than ever and It’s up to UN to seize this opportunity because what is achieved in Dubai must mark a legacy moment which determines the fate of future generations.

To reach a positive point, the leaders requested that the following demand:

An orderly phase out of all fossil fuels in a just & equitable way, in line with a 1.5C trajectory – whilst ensuring the tripling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030 from 2022 levels and the doubling of energy efficiency

The enabling environment to scale up and shift public and private finance, with developed countries taking the lead in action and support; putting a price on carbon and tripling investments for renewable energy

The halt and reversal of deforestation and land degradation as well as biodiversity & other ecosystem loss by 2030; ensure resilient food systems and deliver a strong global goal on adaptation.

The leaders said that outcomes must be supported by the implementation and ratcheting of Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans well before COP30 in 2025 which align with 1.5°C and incorporate multi-stakeholder efforts within them.

Signatories include: Yvonne Aqui Sawyerr, Marc Benioff, Richard Branson, Jesper Brodin, Christiana Figueres, Jacinda Arden, Andrew Forrest, Jane Goodall, Sadiq Khan, Anne Hidalgo, Rachel Kyte, Mo Ibrahim, Guilherme Leal, Vanessa Nakate, Gina McCarthy, Juan Carlos Mora, Hiro Mizuno, Sanda Ojiambo, Manuel Pulgar Vidal, Luc Remont, Johan Rockström, Mary Robinson, Ayisha Siddiqa, Rebecca Solnit, Andrew Steer, Gunther Tallinger, Halla Tómasdóttir, Adair Turner, and many more.

First Published on December 8, 2023

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