Collaboration needed on strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change

Only a collaborative approach involving all stakeholders, the private sector, civil society, and politicians, can address the most pressing issues related to climate change, according to delegates gathered in Dubai for COP28.

Three panels on 3 December covered climate action resilience, how to better mobilise renewable sources for a just energy transition, and also heard the views of younger people at the Care About Climate: Youth for an Equitable Fossil Fuel Phase-Out session.

One thing was clear from the summit: more action and more concrete plans are needed.

Role of renewables

There was an emphasis on the importance of renewables including bioenergy in the green transition, something that DP World has embraced with its vision for renewable energy to power global supply chains and its efforts to decarbonise its operations by 2040.

A panel on rapidly mobilising energy resources highlighted the challenges, including obstacles in planning and permissions, disruptions in critical mineral supply chains and mobilising finance for renewable projects.

Solutions for the widespread adoption of renewable energy and the best way to overcome these challenges were discussed, with everyone needing to play their part.

The significant role that bioenergy can play was highlighted, since it has the potential to become one of the biggest renewable energy sources, after solar energy. Positives include its ready availability and cost-effectiveness, the panellists said.

For DP World, these themes are a continuation of what is being done. Carbon emissions from the company’s UAE operations have been reduced by nearly 50% this year, with Jebel Ali port’s electricity now sourced entirely from renewable sources provided by the local utility provider.

Mobilising funding

Another panel on “Taking stock of climate action resilience” said that collaboration between the public and the private sectors is crucial for enabling investment. Financing is vital to help areas adapt to climate change, they said, with the cost of inaction becoming clearer.

Even so, progress is being made, with private sector investment in climate adaptation increasing. While funding is going in the right direction, faster deployment of private capital will be needed to get to the $387 billion needed to address the climate crisis, panellists said.

The Care About Climate session advocated for an equitable fossil fuel phase-out, citing the IPCC report that said this is the only way to prevent marked temperature increases. The speakers called for concrete guidelines and international cooperation to come out of COP28, instead of domestically-focused plans and suggested that the momentum of the latest IPCC report could be used.