UN Climate Conference to begin in Dubai – special focus on energy solutions

The parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change will convene for the COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 30 November–12 December. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will represent Finland at the high-level segment of the Conference on 1–2 December. During the ministerial week between 8 and 12 December, Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen.

The key themes of the COP28 Climate Conference are emission reductions, climate change adaptation and climate finance, with a particular focus on financing arrangements for climate loss and damage. COP28 will culminate with the Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement that will assess implementation and progress of the Agreement and the adequacy of the measures.

The Conference will begin with a heads of state-level segment where Finland will be represented by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Prime Minister Orpo will deliver Finland’s address at the meeting.

“Extreme weather events are already causing extensive damage around the world. Now more than ever, we need strong political commitment and global action to reduce emissions. Climate solutions are not possible without seamless cooperation between the public and private sectors. Finland is a good example of how to reduce emissions while also looking after the growth potential of the economy,” says Prime Minister Orpo.

During the second week of the Conference, the Finnish delegation will be led by Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Kai Mykkänen. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend events organised at the Conference’s first-ever Finnish Pavilion in the event area.

Prime Minister Orpo will open the pavilion on Friday 1 December. The Finland Pavilion will showcase current perspectives on climate change mitigation and adaptation and highlight clean energy innovations and solutions developed in Finland.

Phasing out fossil fuels among key issues at COP28

The most important goal for Conference is to make sure that the target of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees remains within reach. The countries’ present commitments are not enough to limit the global temperature rise to below two degrees. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC calls for systemic change in all sectors, especially the energy sector.

“It is clear that our emission reduction targets will not be achieved without a transition to clean energy production. Finland and the EU are strong advocates for phasing out fossil fuels and increasing the production of renewable clean energy. We need to be more determined in our efforts to phase out fossil fuels. This will also require cost-minimising technology neutrality, including adopting nuclear power as part of the solution,” says Minister of the Environment and Climate change Kai Mykkänen.

This is the first time the Climate Conference will aim to set global targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The goal is to triple the production of renewable energy and double energy efficiency. The discussions on phasing out fossil fuels are expected to be challenging.

Aim to reach agreement on global adaptation target, climate finance important for developing countries

Besides emission reductions, the key themes of the Conference are climate change adaptation and climate finance. In recent years, financing to compensate for climate loss and damage has become a crucial issue et the Conferences, and it is particularly important for developing countries.

“The aim is to introduce a new fund that can be used to respond to climate loss and damage. A positive aspect is that the Standing Committee that prepared the proposal for the decision has completed a detailed proposal to be decided on at the Conference. With respect to financing, the situation is better than expected as the goal of USD 100 billion will also be reached,” says Finland’s Chief Negotiator Marjo Nummelin from the Ministry of the Environment.

In terms of adaptation, the Conference aims to strengthen the resilience of countries as they prepare for the impacts of climate change. The goal is to reach an agreement on global adaptation targets.

First Global Stocktake of Paris Agreement

The Global Stocktake, conducted in a five-year cycle, evaluates the common progress of countries towards the targets set in the Paris Agreement so that the goal of 1.5 degrees can be attained. Good progress has been made in many areas of the Agreement, but the actions to reduce emissions are still far from what was set as the target.

“This is the most important Climate Conference since Paris. The Stocktake should lead to measures that raise the emission reduction targets. Success in this will be measured when the countries set their next reduction targets by 2025,” says Kaarle Kupiainen, Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of the Environment.

Besides the negotiations, the Climate Conference will bring together cities, companies, investors, representatives of the scientific community and civil society to boost climate action. COP28 in Dubai will be the largest Climate Conference ever. More than 80,000 participants are expected to attend the various side events.

The Conference in Dubai, the Finnish delegation and programme of the Finland Pavilion can be followed on social media using the hashtags #ilmastoCOP28 and #COP28Finland. The programme at the Finland Pavilion will be streamed live on the Business Finland website.