COP28: Call for nations to phase out fossil fuels fail to set deadlines

Policy makers, civil society representatives and the climate experts urges nation‍‍`s to act accordingly to phase out of fossil fuel.

They urge the demand in a press briefing titled, “28th Conference of the Parties: Expectations VS Achievements” was organized by “Climate Justice Alliance” a platform of 30 CSOs and development partners group at National Press Club, Dhaka.

MD Shamsuddoha, Chief Executive of CPRD said, "In the final text of COP28 stated a transition of fossil fuel. But there is no deadline and to roadmap to achieve this goal. We urge the governments and the nations to draw a concrete roadmap for phasing out dirty fossil fuel."

This program was held to depict the scenario of expectations and achievements drawn from the recent event COP 28.
To limit the global temperature below 1.5-degree Celsius, COP 28 was carried out stressing on the issues such as transformation of renewable energy from fossil fuel, mobilize grants and provide support for technological assistance at free of cost to the developing and least-developed countries towards achieving this goal, implementation of first ever Global Stocktake, formation of Loss and Damage Fund (L&D-fund) aligning with the policies of CBDR as obligatory contributions from the developed countries as well as uprising the allocated amount, making the L&D-fund flexible for the climate-affected countries, doubling of climate finance for collective adaptation to climate change and initiate the roadmap of mobilizing the annual 100 billion USD that are pledged by the developed countries, as stated in the press briefing.

However, the alliance of CSOs pointed out that this conference of parties was failed to consider the expectations as expressed by the global community.
The key note speaker of the press briefing, Md Shamsuddoha, said, “we claimed a proper definition and acknowledgement for climate finance and we wanted to make it need, emergency and obligatory based; but a fund was formulated, which will be regulated by World Bank for first 4 years; there is no specific goals are set from the fund and it will be funded by the voluntary contributions of the countries.

"The historical liabilities of climate change and policies of CBRD-RC were not taken into consideration. This Conference of Parties also lacks of roadmap for adaptation fund doubling and implementation of 100 billion USD of climate finance and effective discussing on defining climate finance.

"The countries were reckoned for three-folded increase of the renewable energy capacity by 2030; but this does not include the finance for the developing and the least-developed countries. The countries to enhance the efforts of phasing down unabated coal-based electricity generation and transition away of fossil fuels; however, no specific timeline was set to meet these targets, he said.

"There should be no ineffective subsidy on the fossil fuels and to ensure the energy security, encouragement of the usage of transitional energy gas is placed that will prolong the increase the global greenhouse gas emission, Shamsuddoha added.

Ms. Juliet Keya Malakar said, “Although climate change leaves severe impact on the lives and livelihood of the most vulnerable people, we have spent last 8years after Paris Agreement for deciding relevant definitions, jargons, and terminologies. This conference of Parties bears the legacy of previous COPs events that significantly lacks of remarkable changes and actions required for the climate vulnerable community.

Speech was delivered by Khodeja Sultana Lopa, Country Director, Diakonia, Juliet Keya Malakar, Executive Director, CCDB, Professor Ahmed Kamruzzaman Mazumder, Chairman, Department of Environmental Science, Stamford University Bangladesh.

The program was moderated by Md, Shamsuddoha, Chief Executive of CPRD. He also represented the major manifestations of the program. A joint presentation was delivered by Md. Sheikh Nur Ataya Rabbi, Research Officer, CPRD and Elmee Tabassum, Research Assistant, CPRD.