Global warming Archives

Advancing a regional approach to the climate challenge

Oct 21, 2023

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Apart from all Research, and implementation vital to solving climate change issues, the MENA Climate Week 2023 seeks to advance the regional approach to the climate challenge.

MENA Climate Week 2023: Advancing a regional approach to the climate challenge

Clean Air Task Force (CATF), October 19, 2023

As MENA Climate week in Saudi Arabia concludes and COP28 in the UAE approaches, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is positioned to take on a leadership role in driving the solutions we need to transform our energy system. The MENA region is home to one of the world’s largest energy hubs, as well as host to several actors with significant financial resources, technical know-how, and influence in global energy markets. At the same time, there is widespread inequality in the region with many MENA countries particularly vulnerable to growing climate impacts. These factors converge to underscore both the opportunity and responsibility the region has to take a leadership role in efforts to address climate change and decarbonize the global energy system.

Amidst that backdrop, CATF’s delegation of regional experts attended 2023 MENA Climate Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here are some key takeaways from our delegation.

Key takeaways from 2023 MENA Climate Week on the road to COP28

We must create a shared global vision among governments, civil society, and industry that prepares for a range of energy futures, and the MENA region is ready to meet the challenge.

Many actors in the MENA region have recognized the importance of addressing methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, with 10 countries across the region joining the Global Methane Pledge and other MENA actors acknowledging the positive economic returns of methane mitigation, with either near-zero or minimal costs. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have taken first steps to cut emissions by banning the routine flaring of methane and other gases, and MENA governments are now being encouraged to put in place appropriate regulatory frameworks and financing plans to make sure there is adequate methane mitigation investment across the region.
There is a pressing need to deliver carbon capture storage technologies, 24/7/365 clean electricity, nuclear energy, and low-carbon fuels technologies at scale around the world, and the MENA region is poised to play a key role in advancing these innovative solutions.
It is imperative that we meet the complex challenges across funding, energy security, policy and regulation, as well as technical realities to create incremental, realistic steps for long-term transformation. The MENA region in particular can become a center for materials and minerals as well as a testing ground for clean tech innovation and a financier of global clean tech deployment.

Key Clean Air Task Force events at MENA Climate Week

MENA Climate Week 2023: Advancing a regional approach to the climate challenge

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at MENA Climate Week

MENA Climate Week featured several important events aimed at discussing viable opportunities to advance carbon capture and other critical technologies in the MENA region. CATF experts pushed for clean energy innovation and investment in technologies like carbon capture storage, nuclear energy, and methane mitigation, while working to establish the regulatory and policy frameworks needed to advance decarbonization in the region.

Olivia Azadegan, CATF’s MENA Energy Transition Director, took part as the moderator for the panel “Creating the Business Case for Carbon Management Through Policy Action,” clarifying what countries, particularly in the MENA region, might learn from the U.S. and U.K. experience with developing carbon management business models and regulatory frameworks.

Alongside IEF and AEON collective, CATF co-hosted a special roundtable with thought leaders to review potential breakthroughs and opportunities for collaboration between governments, civil society, and industries to achieve midcentury net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets and deliver on shared sustainable development goals this decade. The roundtable also included leaders from Ministries of Energy in the region and other governmental entities, embassies, climate, and clean energy organizations, National Oil Companies (NOCs), International Oil Companies (IOCs), and academia.

CATF also explored opportunities for carbon capture to help drive deep decarbonization in the region during the “CCUS Climate Technology: Driving Decarbonisation in Cement and Steel” event. CATF’s Azadegan indicated that carbon capture is the only solution we currently have to fully decarbonize difficult to electrify industries like cement and steel, which are essential building blocks of modern society. She made clear that to meet the challenges of decarbonizing these sectors, it will take rapid growth and deployment of carbon management projects and a significant build out of carbon dioxide transport and storage infrastructure, particularly for countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have set goals of achieving net zero CO₂emissions by 2060 and 2050 respectively.

Methane Mitigation at MENA Climate Week

For the oil and gas sectors, methane and flaring reductions must be a cornerstone of decarbonization initiatives. In the panel “Reducing Methane Emissions in the Oil and Gas Value Chain” Azadegan called on signatories to set a 0.2 percent upstream methane intensity target by 2030 at minimum, as well as commit to zero routine flaring by 2030, and to conduct annual reporting on their progress towards these objectives. She highlighted the importance of data transparency, and representation of civil society, industry, and government in the process.

Launch of Net-Zero Knowledge Consortium

CATF also joined the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, Khalifa University and the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) for the public launch of Net-Zero Knowledge Consortium (NKC). This is a multinational initiative that will inform and invigorate the Net Zero Producers Forum (NPF), a government initiative comprising six nations—the United States of America, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Norway, United Arab Emirates, and Canada. The NPF is designed to foster pragmatic net-zero emission strategies for major oil and gas producers. The NKC is composed of independent, evidence-based, analytic organizations from each member nation, supported by and including other organizations from around the world. It’s poised to provide recommendations on how NPF countries can:

Become world leaders in advancing the circular carbon economy approach
Deploy methane abatement solutions
Develop and deploy clean-energy and carbon capture and storage technologies
Diversify their economies away from reliance on hydrocarbon revenues
Take measures in line with each country’s national circumstances

From MENA Climate Week to COP28

MENA Climate Week provided an important platform for major stakeholders in and outside of the region to discuss how MENA stakeholders can create and adopt a shared regional climate vision that advances decarbonization technologies and reduces greenhouse gas emissions at scale. Preceding a highly anticipated COP28 in Dubai, UAE, this climate week presented an opportunity to promote a more globally conscious, region-centric approach to decarbonization that is informed by the realities of our global energy system and broader economy. The stage is now set for continued leadership at COP28, where the UAE will host the world’s largest annual climate summit, with all eyes on how the region will embody a leadership role.

This Houston Building is Designed to Combat Extreme Heat

Oct 10, 2023

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This 15,000-square-foot, mixed-use retail and office center in Houston was designed to work with, not against, nature and combat extreme heat. (Image: Leonid Furmansky/Modu)

Before the increasingly apparent and endured summer weather throughout the world, this Houston building was designed to combat extreme heat that could come like music in the ears of all inhabitants of the MENA’s Gulf countries.

This Houston Building is Designed to Combat Extreme Heat

By Michelle Erdenesanaa in Triple Pundit

Oct 10, 2023

Relief from the summer heat has been slow to reach Houston, as the city experienced temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit well into September. Local meteorologists say last month was Houston’s hottest September in recorded history. The city logged 45 triple-digit days this year, one day short of the all-time record in 2011.

Promenade, among the latest projects from the New York-based design firm Modu, offers respite from the Houston heat through a collection of environmentally-adaptive design strategies.

Modu sees design as an ecological practice. Its projects span vastly different climates, from the Cloud Seeding pavilion near Tel Aviv, to Habits and Habitats, a nature observatory in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Led by founding directors Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem, the firm takes a rigorous and intuitive approach to working with — instead of separating from — the ecology of each location.

Promenade in Houston is a 15,000-square-foot, mixed-use retail and office center that adapts creatively to persistent heat. Modu designed the space with a two-pronged goal: to reduce the building’s energy needs and thereby its carbon footprint, and also to reimagine architecture in harmony with nature.

In this case, Houston’s humid subtropical environment challenges architects to design with maximum cooling and dehumidification in mind. Inside, Promenade’s concrete “self-cooling walls” are both visually interesting and effective at keeping interiors cool. A corrugated, accordion-like pattern on the exterior increases the walls’ surface area, allowing them to shed more heat in interaction with even a slight breeze. The result reduces surface temperature by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Modu.

A combination of corrugated exterior walls and overhangs for shade help keep Promenade comfortable even on Houston’s hottest days. *(Image: Leonid Furmansky/Modu)*

Canopies and pergolas arch over many of Promenade’s windows, providing shade and reducing heat gain from the sun. Tall vertical “fins” offer shade around entrances and rise from gardens of various flora — from bamboo to jasmine to tall grasses — whose transpiration further decreases air temperature and humidity.

This interplay of strategies is key to Modu’s “idea of architecture and design as a cultural practice: not to isolate any one element or design strategy, but to get them to all work together,” Hoang told TriplePundit.

The built environment is responsible for about 40 percent of global carbon emissions, with building operations making up about 39 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. As climate change-induced weather patterns continue to evolve in places like Houston, environmentally-adaptive solutions provide alternatives to energy-intensive responses.

“Our dependency on [air conditioning] makes how we build have extreme separation [between indoor and outdoor],” Rotem told us. “This is not how we used to build, as humanity. How do we get back to using that knowledge?” Treating Promenade’s thresholds as “micro-climates,” like the mini-gardens at each entrance, softens the boundary between indoor and outdoor to create a cooling gradient.

Shades, canopies, and pergolas overtop windows and entrances help to keep the inside of Promenade cool. *(Image: Leonid Furmansky/Modu)*

In order to understand the land and air that it designs for, Modu conducts rigorous research and runs an experimental think tank. Promenade’s corrugated walls grew out of testing models and consulting with the climate engineering firm TransSolar. To consider Habits and Habitats’ effects on wildlife species in Wyoming’s Greater Yellowstone area, Hoang and Rotem met with animal sociologist Lisa Jean Moore.

Inviting more perspectives into the design process considers “the impact of what we do or how we want to design on all the stakeholders: who are humans, of course, but also can be animals and plants and seeds,” Rotem said. “Every project has its own narrative based on the local conditions.”

Modu designers say their projects do not seek to impose on the environments they exist among, but rather to join them and let themselves be shaped by environmental factors. The structures’ intuitive beauty and functionality, ultimately, feel like a collaboration with nature itself.

MICHELLE ERDENESANAA

Michelle is a freelance writer with experience in international nonprofit work, arts and culture writing, and creative copywriting. She is particularly devoted to stories that highlight cultural expansion and our interdependence.

Global warming vs climate change: Your basic guide

Oct 4, 2023

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Global warming vs climate change: Your basic guide

Superheating: Why climate change solution rests on respecting science

Published: October 04, 2023 16:52 Jay Hilotin, Senior Assistant Editor

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CLIMATE SCIENCE: The science behind climate change is rooted in the principles of the Earth’s atmosphere, greenhouse gases, and human activities. Climate change is driven by Earth’s atmosphere, greenhouse gases, and human actions. Scientists rely on extensive data to confirm that human-induced climate change is causing irreparable warming, as stated in a recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Researchers from the Mamiraua Institute for Sustainable Development analyse a dead dolphin retrieved from the Tefe lake effluent of the Solimoes river that has been affected by the high temperatures and drought in Tefe, Amazonas state, Brazil, October 2, 2023.Image Credit: Reuters

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WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases. The scientific consensus is clear: Earth’s climate has significantly warmed since the late 1800s, primarily due to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. While this is a huge problem, it also represents massive multi-trillion-dollar opportunity.Image Credit: NYT

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WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING? Ongoing emissions will intensify global impacts. The severity of future climate change hinges on our immediate actions to curb CO2 emissions, after doing it for more than 100 years. More of the same, i.e. more emissions, means greater future changes. In March 2023, the IPCC expressed “very high confidence” that risks and adverse impacts will worsen with increased global warming. To stay within the 1.5°C limit, emissions must decrease by at least 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels and at least 60% by 2035. Photo shows people watching the wildfire on the island of Ciovo, in Croatia, on July 27, 2023.Image Credit: REUTERS/

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‘GREENHOUSE’ EFFECT: The Earth’s atmosphere contains greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapour (H2O). These gases have the unique property of trapping heat from the sun, creating ‘GREENHOUSE’ EFFECT: The Earth’s atmosphere contains greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapour (H2O). These gases have the unique property of trapping heat from the sun, creating a natural “greenhouse effect”. Without this effect, the Earth’s surface would be too cold to support life.a natural “greenhouse effect”. Without this effect, the Earth’s surface would be too cold to support life. Combo pictures show the effects of wildfies in Hawaii. Many climate scientists and fire ecologists claim the wildfire has taken place because of the huge availability of fire fuel, which is majorly caused by the hot temperature, drought conditions and Hurricane Dora’s high-speed winds.Image Credit: Agencies

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WARMER ATMOSPHERE, ACIDIC OCEAN, HIGHER SEA LEVELS: Amidst the noise of climate change deniers, the undeniable truth is that climate change is real and its impacts are looming. Some, like Sammy Wilson, former Northern Ireland environment minister, and Czech Republic ex-president Václav Klaus, remain vocal climate change deniers. Fox News columnist Steve Milloy and Prof. Pat Michaels of the Cato Institute share this stance, dismissing global warming as a “swindle.” But it’s not about assigning blame but addressing the impending consequences: a warmer atmosphere, more acidic oceans, rising sea levels, and altered precipitation patterns. It’s crucial that we act today to mitigate these effects.Image Credit: Catherine Sheila from Pexels

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HOW GREENHOUSE GASES HELP — AND THREATEN PLANET: ’Greenhouse gases’ are crucial to keeping our planet at a suitable temperature for life. Without the natural greenhouse effect, the heat emitted by the Earth would simply pass outwards from the Earth’s surface into space — and the Earth would have an average temperature of about -20°C. But just as too little greenhouse gas makes Earth too cold, too much greenhouse gas makes Earth too warm. Smog in New Delhi.Image Credit: REUTERS

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WARMING PLANET: As we burn burned coal, oil, and gasoline in our power plants, cars, trucks, planes, trains, and factories. Burning such fossil fuels produces CO2 as a waste product. Putting so much new CO2 into the air has made Earth warmer. If we continue on our current path, we will cause even more warming. This is known as ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’. What adds to this is deforestation, and industrial processes. This enhanced greenhouse effect traps more heat, leading to global warming.Image Credit: AP

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RISING AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: The increase in greenhouse gases leads to an overall rise in the Earth’s average surface temperature, simply known as “global warming”. This warming trend is supported by extensive scientific evidence, including temperature measurements, ice core data, and climate models. Countries, including The Seychelles, are threatened by rising seal levels and bleaching of the coral reefs.Image Credit: Supplied

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GLACIER RETREAT: The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned in 2021 that the rate of glacier retreat is “accelerating”, and many glaciers suffered from intense mass losses due to exceptionally warm and dry conditions. Ice retreat at Gorner Glacier in Switzerland is significant, as shown in the comparative images in the relatively short period of 2011 to 2021, losing at least 384 metres. The glacier has declined in both “planimetric” extent and height, becoming covered in a layer of debris as a result. Glaciers that once connected further up the valley have declined and become detached from the main ice flow. Historic length change data from the Glacier Monitoring Service Switzerland (GLAMOS) show that since the late 1800s, Gorner glacier has retreated by nearly 3km.Image Credit: Reuters

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BEFORE AND AFTER: Nasa has cited scientific information taken from natural sources — ice cores, rocks, and tree rings — and from modern equipment (like satellites and instruments), all of which show the signs of a changing climate. From global temperature rise to melting ice sheets, the evidence of a warming planet abounds. The warming of the planet’s atmosphere warming is just one aspect of climate change. It also includes shifts in climate patterns — such as altered precipitation, more frequent and severe weather events (like hurricanes and droughts), and changing ocean currents. These changes are driven by the redistribution of heat in the Earth’s climate system, say scientists. This combination of two photographs created on August 25, 2023, shows (top) the Rhone Glacier, near Gletsch, with a part covered with insulating foam to prevent it from melting due to global warming on July 14, 2015 and (bottom) the same location on August 24, 2023.Image Credit: AFP

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FEEDBACK LOOPS: Climate change can trigger feedback loops that amplify its effects. For example, as the Arctic ice melts due to warming temperatures, it reduces the Earth’s reflectivity (albedo), causing more sunlight to be absorbed, which further accelerates warming. Photo shows Okjökull Glacier lost to climate change.Image Credit: Gulf News

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OCEAN ACIDIFICATION: Increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere also lead to higher concentrations of CO2 being absorbed by the oceans. This results in ocean acidification, which can harm marine ecosystems and disrupt the food chain.Image Credit: shutterstock

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MITIGATION, ADAPTATION: Addressing climate change requires both mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation (preparing for and responding to the changes that are already occurring). This involves transitioning to renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, protecting forests, and implementing policies and strategies to reduce emissions. In the UAE, 6-megawatt (MW) plant providing power to COP27 is rated to generate as much as 11,723 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy per year, enough to power more than 5,000 homes while cutting CO2 emissions by over 4,000 tonnes. It continue to operate after the conference, providing clean energy to the city for years to come.Image Credit: WAM

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ACTION: In a call for immediate action, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE’s Minister of Industry, and Advanced Technology, COP28 PresidentDesignate, and head of Adnoc Group, has called for the global energy sector to “step up” and play its part in tackling climate change. Dr Al Jabel said at the Adipec 2023 opening event that the oil and gas industry could change the global debate. “It is time to silence the sceptics by applying strength, capital and technology to deliver real outcomes and tangible results,” he said. “This is your opportunity to show the world you are central to the solution.”Image Credit:

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UPBEAT TRENDS: Some of the energy industry trends are encouraging. One is the attraction of record-breaking “clean tech” investments of $1.7 trillion, the addition of 440GW of renewable energy to global grids in 2023, and a three-fold increase in electric vehicle sales in three years. Dr Al Jaber argues that what’s needed is a well-managed and equitable energy transition plans. The global trend towards decarbonisation will create pro-growth future. Sheep graze between the solar panels of a solar park in Rogane, Kosovo.Image Credit: Reuters

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HUGE TASK, BIG OPPORTUNITY: Dr Al Jaber says: “It is one humongous task and a historic opportunity for growth and innovation. This represents the largest economic opportunity since the first Industrial Revolution.”Image Credit: Bloomberg | Prologis

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STRATEGY: Dr. Al Jaber cited a three-pronged strategy: cut in CO2 emissions, boost low-carbon solutions, and promote renewables. He urged the the energy industry must help meet the ambitious targets of tripling renewable capacity to 11,000GW while reduce emissions from energy production and for companies to align with net-zero goals. He also urged the elimination of routine flaring by 2030. He also urged heavy-use sectors such as steel, cement, aluminum and transportation must on-board low-carbon solutions like hydrogen, carbon capture, battery storage, and renewable fuels.Image Credit: AP

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$2-TRILLION OPPORTUNITY: Fossil fuels — including coal, oil, and natural gas — have been powering economies for over 150 years, and currently supply about 80 percent of the world’s energy, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. It’s a huge problem, but also a massive opportunity. The Group Next Move Strategy Consulting estimates the market for renewable energy to hit over $2 trillion by 2030.  PROGRESS: Looking to the bright side, the adoption of renewable energy is surging forward, spurred in part by turbulence in the global oil and gas sectors stemming from events such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The International Energy Agency (IEA) is now urging a substantial boost in clean energy (wind, solar, water, transport, nuclear) investment, calling for an increase from $1.8 trillion in 2023 to an annual total of $4.5 trillion over the next decade.Image Credit: AFP

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PROGRESS: Looking to the bright side, the adoption of renewable energy is surging forward, spurred in part by turbulence in the global oil and gas sectors stemming from events such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The International Energy Agency (IEA) is now urging a substantial boost in clean energy (wind, solar, water, transport, nuclear) investment, calling for an increase from $1.8 trillion in 2023 to an annual total of $4.5 trillion over the next decade.
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Sustainable architecture in face of climate change

Sep 11, 2023

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The above-featured image is for illustration and is IDEALWORK on similar concern.

Sustainable architecture in face of climate change

By ANSUMAN PATI in the Pioneer.

As the globe struggles to overcome the obstacles presented by a rapidly changing environment, the complex interaction between art, architecture, and climate change has become more important. By designing buildings that blend in with the environment, reflect sustainable practices, and endure the effects of climate change, architects, as stewards of the built environment, play a crucial role in determining the future of our world.

Design inspired by nature

In a time of environmental awareness, architects are looking to nature more often for inspiration. The design principle of “biomimicry,” which imitates natural patterns and processes, is essential for developing sustainable buildings. Architects can create creative solutions that cut down on energy use, improve thermal performance, and minimise resource waste by studying the effectiveness of natural systems. Natural-inspired structures not only have a less carbon footprint but also mix in perfectly with their surroundings, making them real-world illustrations of sustainable art.

Construction methods, sustainable materials

The environmental impact of a structure is significantly influenced by the materials and construction techniques used. To reduce embodied carbon and advance a circular economy, architects are adopting sustainable materials like reclaimed wood, recycled metal, and low-emission concrete. Additionally, prefabrication and modular construction methods reduce waste from building projects, energy use, and harm to nearby ecosystems. Sustainable architecture elevates the building process to the level of an art form by demonstrating how ecological responsibility and human inventiveness may coexist together.

Passive design, net-zero energy

The movement towards net-zero energy buildings, or buildings that produce as much energy as they need, is being led by architects. Buildings that generate clean energy while preserving their visual appeal are being made by architects by utilising renewable energy sources including solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal systems. The use of artificial cooling and heating is reduced by passive design techniques including orienting buildings to maximise natural sunlight and ventilation, creating places that are both energy-efficient and comfortable. The architect’s dedication to sustainability and creativity is demonstrated by the way in which technology and design have been combined.

Adaptivity, resilience

Architects must create structures that are durable and flexible as climate change leads to increasingly frequent and intense weather occurrences. The architect’s commitment to protecting human life and preserving architectural history is exemplified by the use of flood-resistant foundations, hurricane-resistant windows, and earthquake-resistant buildings. By lowering the need for new building materials, adaptive reuse, or repurposing old structures, he helps the environment. Through their innovative designs, architects are reinventing how structures react to shifting environmental conditions.

Urban planning, green spaces

Urban planning and public spaces are also included in the convergence of art, architecture, and sustainability, in addition to specific buildings. The integration of parks, green roofs, and urban forests into the urban fabric is something that architects are strong proponents of. These green areas reduce urban heat islands, offer crucial ecological services, and enhance air quality. Urban planning that emphasises bicycle infrastructure, walkability, and effective public transportation lowers carbon emissions and promotes thriving, liveable communities. The architect’s position as a visionary artist sculpting the urban landscape is reflected in this comprehensive approach to sustainable design.

Cultural preservation

In addition to protecting the environment, architects also have a duty to preserve cultural heritage and promote social justice. Historic building preservation and the incorporation of regional architectural cues into contemporary architecture celebrate cultural identity and promote a sense of neighbourhood. In addition, architects work to design inclusive and accessible settings that improve everyone’s wellbeing, regardless of their age or level of ability. Architects express their dedication to sustainability, which includes both the physical and human components of design, by placing a priority on cultural preservation and social effect.

A sustainable future that seamlessly integrates art and architecture into the structure of our environment is something that architects can create in the face of climate change by using a special combination of creativity, innovation, and responsibility. The skilful blending of nature-inspired design, sustainable materials, net-zero energy solutions, resilience, and social effect demonstrates the architect’s crucial role in establishing a society in which beauty and sustainability coexist. Architects represent the transforming force of design via their imaginative works, pointing humanity in the direction of a time when art and architecture will stand as enduring symbols of our dedication to the environment and its inhabitants.

(The writer is an architect who shows insight into things that helps in producing sustainable architectural eco-friendly buildings)

Climate change: Which countries will foot the bill?

Jul 21, 2023

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Climate change: Which countries will foot the bill? The question is on everybody’s mind, especially within those countries with historically the littlest impact on today’s situation.

Climate change: Which countries will foot the bill?

By Kate Abnett and Valerie Volcovici

July 21, 2023

A man is seen with a towel tied around his head to escape hot weather as a heat wave hits Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, July 10, 2017. Picture taken July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Summary

Countries at odds over which should pay climate finance
EU wants China to contribute to climate funds
China among countries not currently obliged to pay

BRUSSELS/BEIJING, July 21 (Reuters) – Record-breaking heat in China. Wildfires forcing Swiss villages to evacuate. Drought ravaging Spanish crops. As the costs of climate change rack up, a debate is surging among governments: who should pay?

The question has been in the spotlight amid this week’s climate talks between the U.S. and China, where the world’s two biggest economies tried to find ways to work together on issues ranging from renewable energy deployment to climate finance ahead of this year’s U.N. climate summit, COP28, in Dubai.

Given China’s rapid economic growth and increasing emissions, pressure has grown on Beijing to join the group of countries providing this funding.

During the talks in Beijing, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said the two sides would continue to discuss climate finance over the next four months, before the COP28 conference starting Nov. 30.

“It’s difficult to argue that countries like China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia should still be put at the same level as the least developed countries and small island developing states,” a diplomat from one European Union country told Reuters.

The EU, today the biggest contributor of climate finance, has lobbied to expand the pool of donor countries that provide it.

Climate finance refers to money that wealthy countries pay toward helping poorer nations reduce CO2 emissions and adapt to a hotter, harsher world.

So far, the few dozen wealthy countries obliged to make these payments have not delivered cash in the amounts promised. That list of financing nations was decided during U.N. climate talks in 1992, when China’s economy was still smaller than Italy’s.

Now, some countries are calling for China to contribute. U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have noted that Chinese contributions would boost the efficacy of the U.N. climate fund.

Other countries under similar pressure include Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, three of the world’s richest nations in terms of GDP per capita.

So far, China has resisted calls that could group it alongside wealthy nations.

In a meeting with Kerry on Tuesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed that developed countries should deliver their unfulfilled climate finance commitments and take the lead in cutting emissions, according to Li’s office. He suggested developing countries could make contributions “within their capabilities.”

That resistance suggests the effort faces serious challenges. Changing the official U.N. donor list would require international consensus.

“There is much too much resistance among countries like China and Saudi Arabia to touch the official definition,” one EU official said on condition of anonymity.

Advocates for the change argue that an expansion needs to happen before a new – and, likely, far bigger – U.N. target for climate finance kicks in after 2025. Countries still need to negotiate the size of that target and who will contribute to it.

“All countries that are able, must contribute to global climate finance,” said Ambassador Pa’olelei Luteru, who chairs the Alliance of Small Island States.

The bigger issue, Luteru said, is which of the poor and most vulnerable countries will be in line to receive it.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

The U.N. climate financing arrangement is based on the principle that rich countries have a greater responsibility to tackle climate change, because they have contributed the bulk of the CO2 emissions heating the planet since the industrial revolution.

The United States’ historical CO2 emissions are bigger than those of any other country, but China today is the world’s biggest CO2 emitter in terms of pollution produced each year.

Countries will face the question of historical responsibility at COP28, as they aim to launch a new fund to compensate vulnerable states for costs already being incurred in climate-fuelled natural disasters.

The EU dropped its years-long resistance to that fund last year, but on the condition that a larger group of countries pay into it. Countries have not yet decided who will contribute.

The United States has been cagey about making payments that could be seen as reparations for climate change.

Some countries not obliged to contribute to UN climate funds have done so anyway, including South Korea and Qatar. Others have begun channelling aid through other channels.

China launched the South-South Climate Cooperation fund in 2015 to help least developed countries’ tackle climate issues, and so far has delivered about 10% of the $3.1 billion pledged, according to think tank E3G.

That’s a fraction of the hundreds of billions that Beijing is spending on its Belt and Road Initiative, backing projects including oil pipelines and ports.

Such arrangements allow countries to contribute without obligation, although if done outside of U.N. funds they can face less stringent criteria for public reporting – making it harder to track where the money is going and how much is paid.

Byford Tsang, a senior policy advisor at E3G, said a Chinese offer of more climate finance would be a “win-win” for Beijing. “It would earn China diplomatic clout, and pressure Western donors to raise their stakes on climate finance,” he said.

Some vulnerable countries, frustrated with the flagging finance to date, are looking to new sources for cash. The Barbados-led Bridgetown Initiative is pushing for a revamp of multilateral development banks so they can offer more support for climate projects. Other nations have rallied behind a global CO2 levy on shipping to raise funds.

Reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels and Valerie Volcovici in Beijing; Editing by Katy Daigle and Stephen Coates

Valerie Volcovici

Valerie Volcovici covers U.S. environment and energy policy from Washington, DC. She is focused on climate and environmental regulations at federal agencies and in Congress. She also covers the impact of these regulatory changes across the United States. Other areas of coverage include plastic pollution and international climate negotiations.

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Advancing a regional approach to the climate challenge

MENA Climate Week 2023: Advancing a regional approach to the climate challenge

Key takeaways from 2023 MENA Climate Week on the road to COP28

Key Clean Air Task Force events at MENA Climate Week

From MENA Climate Week to COP28

This Houston Building is Designed to Combat Extreme Heat

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Global warming vs climate change: Your basic guide

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This Houston Building is Designed to Combat Extreme Heat

Share this:

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Sustainable architecture in face of climate change

Design inspired by nature

Construction methods, sustainable materials

Passive design, net-zero energy

Adaptivity, resilience

Urban planning, green spaces

Cultural preservation

Share this:

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

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Recent Posts

Recent Posts in: A L G M O R T U N