Global discord threatens COP28 climate talks, EU commissioner says - Reuters

Global discord threatens COP28 climate talks, EU commissioner says | Reuters

Global discord threatens COP28 climate talks, EU commissioner says

Wopke Hoekstra arrives at the Binnenhof for the Council of Ministers in The Hague, Netherlands July 14, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw//File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

ABU DHABI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The need for agreement to tackle global warming is "higher than ever", but it has never been harder as the geopolitical backdrop complicates international cooperation, the European Union's climate chief said on Monday ahead of next month's COP28 summit.

Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra also said the EU would not accept an outcome at COP28 that only reached deals on less contentious topics - such as increased use of renewable energy - if it failed to solve tougher issues such as phasing out fossil fuels.

"This is not an à la carte menu. It is actually all that is on the menu that needs to be delivered on," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a preliminary COP28 gathering in Abu Dhabi ahead of the U.N. summit starting at the end of November.

The challenge of getting countries to agree is all the greater as Israel has escalated its bombardment of Gaza, Russia's war on Ukraine continues and tensions run high between the U.S. and China.

At the same time as "geopolitically very challenging times" make agreement on the climate harder than ever, the need is "higher than ever," Hoekstra said.

Scientists have blamed global warming, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, for extreme weather this year, which is on track to be the hottest on record.

Israel has so far rejected international calls for a temporary pause in its bombardment of Gaza and politicians have warned of the risk of a wider conflict.

Tensions have also risen between Europe and China as Brussels investigates whether to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports that it says are state-subsidised.

China's ambassador to the EU criticised the EU's actions as "unjustified and regrettable," cautioning last week against political confrontations jeopardising climate cooperation.

"Global climate governance does not happen in a vacuum. One should not seek political confrontation on the one hand and expect unconditional cooperation on the other," Fu Cong said.

Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; editing by Barbara Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read Next

Indonesia moves closer to allowing cross border carbon storage
Indonesia is finalising a regulation that opens up carbon capture and storage schemes to more industries and allow green house gases from abroad to be stored in the country, a government official said on Tuesday.