By Asitha Jayawardena
Chlorophyll Green of the Planet Naturus writes his seventh alien letter to the President of COP28.
Sustainable Earth Research Project
Centre for Planetary Sustainability
University of Leafania
Leafania WI12 SE34
Planet Naturus
1 December 2023
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber
COP28 President
UN Climate Change Conference
Dubai
The UAE (United Arab Emirates)
Planet Earth
Dear Dr. Al Jaber
How to reinstate global climate change efforts on track (or to make COP28 successful)
We hope that you are well at the COP28, surrounded by over 70,000 earthlings in Dubai, The UAE, Earth!
Let me explain about us. I am the research leader of The Sustainable Earth Research Project, The Centre for Planetary Sustainability, The University of Leafania in Planet Naturus.
On the 1st of January 2016, I wrote my first letter to the UN Secretary-General on the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. This letter is my seventh and, this time, you – as the COP28 President – are the recipient of this alien letter.
Climate now
The period of Coronavirus starting from 2020 was successful in terms of Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but it rose 1.2% from 2021 to 2022. That means that earthlings are working again (or GHG emissions are released to the atmosphere.)
Under Paris Agreement signed in 2015, a global stocktake should be taken every five years. The first one happened in COP28 in 2023, assessing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the parties (i.e., countries). We the Naturus clan were invisible up to now and we have decided to maintain our invisibility status further. Sorry for that.
According to The annual Emissions Gap report published in November 2023, in this century, Earth faces between 2.5C (4.5F) and 2.9C (5.2F) of temperature rise above preindustrial levels if governments do not boost climate action.
“Present trends are racing our planet down a dead-end 3C temperature rise,” says U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “The emissions gap is more like an emissions canyon.”
“Business-as-usual is breaking our planet,” declares Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change Simon Stiell. “At COP28, leaders must get to work fixing it. We are ready to help them deliver.”
So, from yesterday, i.e., 30 November, until 12 December 2023, world leaders have met in Dubai for the annual U.N. climate summit COP28 with the aim of keeping the Paris Agreement warming target of 1.5C (2.7F) alive. For this, Earth-warming greenhouse gas emissions must fall by 42% by 2030, or by 7 years. Now the chance of limiting warming to 1.5C, as agreed by nearly 200 nations in 2015, is only 14%.
How to eliminate climate change
You are the managing director and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC Group), which deals with fossil fuels. You are also the founding CEO and chairman of Masdar, which deals with renewable energy and has invested in over 40 countries.
When you were announced as COP28 president in January 2023, climate campaigners compared it to “appointing the CEO of a cigarette company to oversee a conference on cancer cures”.
This COP28 conference is how you can change the world by accelerating solutions to climate change. As climate campaigners of earthlings, we will also see if you do it in two weeks.
As you know, there are three types of solutions to climate change:
- Mitigation
- Adaptation
- Finance
Mitigation: Mitigation is the best solution that you earthlings have here today. You burn fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and gas for electricity, heat, or transport. Avoid, or at least minimise them, so that the greenhouse gas emissions decreased. It should also enhance the “sinks” that accumulate and store these gases, such as the oceans, forests, and soil. Moreover, fossil fuels should be replaced by renewable energy, such as solar, wind, the movement of water (e.g., hydro) and geothermal heat. The goal of mitigation is to avoid significant human interference with Earth’s climate.
Adaptation: Adaptation, i.e., adapting to life in a changing climate, involves adjusting to actual or expected future climate. The goal is to reduce your risks from the harmful effects of climate change, such as sea-level rise, more intense extreme weather events, or food insecurity. Making the most of any potential benefits associated with climate change fall under this category. Longer growing seasons or increased yields are examples.
Finance: By Finance, I meant Loss and Damage Fund. Negative consequences from the unavoidable risks of climate change mean loss and damage and those nations affected by this are the developing countries. which have usually contributed relatively less to generating greenhouse gas emissions.
For example, flooding in Pakistan in 2022 killed 1700 people, affecting 33 million people. Despite a population of 231 million in this country, its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions in only 0.9%. In other words, Pakistan has not contributed to climate change although it is seriously affected by flooding caused by climate change significantly.
Small Island Developing States is another, with 39 nations. Countries like Tuvalu and Vanuatu will lose their land due to sea level rise from climate change.
If you have a mechanism that developed countries should fund the unfairly affected developing countries like Pakistan due to climate change, it is great as well as COP28 will achieve climate justice.
I hope you remember that the Oxfam report says, the richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66%.
Summary
Climate crisis is slowly but steadily taking Earth over, so the time will be limited. If you accelerate these solutions – mitigation, adaptation, and finance – having managed the unique pressure, you will be successful.
After all, a climate summit in an oil state can change many things, or at least finance part, e.g., Loss and Damage.
In the two coming weeks, we will keep an invisible eye on you and your COP28!
Thank you.
Galactically yours
Chlorophyll Green
PS: Yesterday’s announcement that your country UAE will fund $100 million in the Loss and Damage fund is a silver lining. It will end the 30-year wait for developing countries. Excellent work, Dr. Al Jaber.
More…
Paris climate change deal costs Earth a galactic award, reveals an alien letter to the UN https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/paris-climate-change-deal-costs-earth-galactic-award-un-jayawardena/?trackingId=isnbRqGYSz6fvyRfvjX0vA%3D%3D
Alien Letter 6: 50 years since Stockholm Conference, Greta’s Climate Book and COP27 in November 2022
Sustain 