Indigenous people and climate justice groups say Cop28 was ‘business as usual’

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Guardian or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The COP28 agreement, celebrated by leaders of developed countries as a historic shift from fossil fuels, has been criticized by Indigenous people, frontline communities, and climate justice groups
• They label the deal as unfair, inequitable, and akin to business as usual, failing to address the differentiated responsibilities of developed nations

🔭 The context: The Global Stocktake (GST) at COP28 was focused on whether to phase out or phase down fossil fuels
• While developed countries, especially those with large oil reserves, emerged as winners, developing countries stressed the need for a "fair, funded, and fast" transition, emphasizing the historical responsibility of richer nations

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The final agreement overlooks the historic responsibility of developed countries and lacks commitments on finance and implementation for developing countries
• This raises concerns about equity and the effectiveness of the global response to climate change, particularly in vulnerable regions like small island states and countries facing severe climate impacts

⏭️ What's next: Developing countries are expected to work on national climate action plans without clear commitments from developed nations
• This situation may lead to increased reliance on controversial technologies like carbon capture and storage, potentially causing further environmental and social issues

💬 One quote: "We watched first-hand as the fossil fuel polluters and wealthy governments manipulated developing countries to undermine real action on climate change … The UN climate change conference has failed humanity and Mother Earth" (Tom Goldtooth, the director of the Indigenous Environmental Network)

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