Our COP28 round-up: TPNS events, presentations & media

This COP28 was the one that finally recognised fossil fuels as the primary culprit in the climate crisis. But it held back from calling for a phase-out, and instead called for a “transition away”. Not enough since the consensus at COP was this: we are headed for 2° Celsius or more of warming by 2100.

On climate finance the Loss and Damage fund was officially made operational, with $700m committed at COP28. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) received a boost to its second replenishment with six countries pledging new funding at COP28 with total pledges now standing at a record USD 12.8 billion from 31 countries, with further contributions expected. Eight donor governments announced new commitments to the Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund totalling more than USD 174 million to date, while new pledges, totalling nearly USD 188 million so far, were made to the Adaptation Fund at COP28.

But these new climate finance numbers still pale into insignificance when compared to the $13trillion the big fossil fuel reliant militaries will receive between now and 2030 – the year when we must also hit 45% cuts to global annual GHG emissions.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought attention to this issue at COP27 in Egypt, so Israel’s bombardment of Gaza meant our message was loudly heard at COP28. The excessively funded fossil-fuel-reliant big militaries of the world – and the arms industry that supply them – are now in the climate change frame for all to see. As a result, COP28 saw the climate justice movement begin to include this issue in their broader analysis.

TPNS took its message to civil society, country delegates, UN departments and media. We built on our presence at COP27 as part of an ever growing civil society movement calling for this issue to be centre-stage. We look forward to building on both existing and new connections in our work to get military emissions and spending on the UNFCCC and climate finance agendas respectively.

We are indebted to the following for their support of our COP28 attendance: Jam Today, Movement for the Abolition of War, Quaker UN Office, Perspectives Climate Group.

Meantime, as the holiday season nears, we send you the very best Season’s Greetings and wish everyone a peaceful Christmas.

Deb, Ho-Chih, Dionne & all at TPNS.

COP28 ATTENDANCE 2nd-11th DECEMBER

SIDE EVENTS

December 4^th Official Side Event

Watch here. December 6^th Green x Digital Pavilion

Watch here.

December 10^th Official Side Event

Watch here.

December 12th SDGs Pavilion

Watch here.

COP28 Live Webinar
Hosted by IPB, TPNS, TNI, Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR), Stop Wapenhandel, WILPF

Watch here.

MEDIA – CLIMATE CROSSFIRE REPORT & SIDE EVENTS

HIGHLIGHTS

Democracy Now with Amy Goodman at COP28

Guardian: Climate Crossfire Report and the 5% cut call
Divert military spending to fund climate aid, activists urge Cop28

Climate Home News
Wars are closing down the window for climate action (Op Ed)

Twitter
Our COP28 Feed https://twitter.com/TransformDef
UNCS News

Full media listing here.

COP28: Military Spending Enters the Climate Finance Debate

President Lula De Silva of Brazil

“It is unacceptable that the promise of 100 billion dollars a year made by the developed countries will not come to fruition while, in 2021 alone, military spending reached 2 trillion and 200 billion dollars.“

Climate Action Network COP28 Policy Document

“At the same time, it is important to point out that the world’s militaries contribute at least 5.5% of global emissions and reporting is voluntary and mostly lacking. We ask leaders to reduce and re-allocate military spending to reduce emissions and to provide adequate, scaled-up finance as this is a critical enabler of ambitious climate action.”

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a Nairobi-based climate and energy think-tank.

“The war on Gaza is also affecting how much funding can be diverted to climate initiatives. Adow says wars and conflict are using up much needed climate cash that could have otherwise been very useful to help protect vulnerable communities from climate disaster. He used the example of Ukraine, where he says trillions of dollars were sent at a time that the international community was struggling to mobilize a hundred billion for climate finance.“Demilitarization across the world must be a key component of climate justice,” Adow said.“

Mitzi Jonelle Tan Convenor and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), the Fridays For Future (FFF) of the Philippines. Mitzi has long pushed for the climate movement to address militarism. She co-ordinated this action at COP28 before heading over to join our 4 December official side event.

Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the UN global fund for education in emergencies

“Don’t tell me that there are no resources. If we took 5 per cent of military expenditures and move them towards a education and to address climate crisis… We would have $100 billion a year to address climate change. So, the message is that you need to start reprioritizing.”