Opinion | Cop28: leaders must deliver meaningful climate action or face public fury

Are we seeing the contours of a global consensus taking shape for a low-carbon future? The first day of the Cop28 UN climate conference in Dubai saw a surprising breakthrough: governments agreed to operationalise the contentious “loss and damage” mechanism for particularly vulnerable countries.

The move may unlock the potential of more ambitious outcomes. So far there have been significant positive developments, with pledges by 118 countries to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, and agreements from major oil and gas companies to decarbonise by 2050 and to reach near-zero methane emissions and end routine gas flaring by 2030.

These are all hopeful signs, given the increasing evidence that societies are beginning to come to judgment on the need to transition from a global economy based on fossil fuels to one built around renewable energy.

But amid these initiatives and a parade of strong rhetoric in leaders’ opening speeches, there is still much scepticism. With the crucial wording of the final Cop28 agreement on a fossil fuel phase-down or phase-out still to be addressed, a chorus cries about a “greenwashing” summit could yet materialise.

In 2015, the Paris Agreement committed to cutting carbon pollution and protecting nature while also promising climate adaptation in a changed world with more intense fire seasons, and stronger and more unpredictable storms, among other types of impact.