Abu Dhabi: Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-designate, has hailed India, the current host of the Presidency of the G20, for its energy transition vision.
At the ‘From G20 to COP28,’ special forum held in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Al Jaber said the UAE and India shared a “vision for embracing an energy transition in line with sustainable socio-economic development.”
Dr. Al Jaber thanked the leadership of India for delivering the G20 Delhi Declaration and for the immense progress achieved on core climate actions.
The COP28 President specifically thanked the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for delivering a global agreement and highlighted the Indian Government’s strong approach to cooperation and multilateralism, which the COP Presidency aims to emulate.
COP28 would “frame climate action as an opportunity for growth,” Dr. Al Jaber remarked, adding that it would aim for “ambitious and balanced outcomes through the first Global Stocktake, across mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation.”
Dr. Al Jaber praised Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s commitment to multilateralism, and he reminded delegates that, under the Indian Prime Minister’s guidance, countries representing 85 percent of the global economy have agreed to COP28’s global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
However, he also acknowledged the critical need for a “new paradigm” in climate finance to ensure every country across the Global South can adopt low-carbon development, which he told delegates must start with “rebuilding trust” between north and south. He renewed calls for the transformation of climate finance to ensure a fair and inclusive global energy transition.
“Unmet promises like the $100 billion pledge must be fulfilled,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “The green climate fund must be fully replenished. Adaptation finance must be doubled. And the fund for loss and damage must be fully operationalized at COP28,” Dr. Al Jaber observed.
The COP28 President also called for a rebalancing of climate finance to focus on adaptation alongside mitigation, noting that currently “for every $10 spent on mitigation, only $1 goes to adaptation.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Al Jaber recapped the comprehensive agenda for COP28, which he told delegates would be an opportunity to “show that multilateralism still works”. He said it was time to “replace discord with solidarity…let’s bring positivity to climate deliberations and restore hope through united climate action.”