After over 2 weeks of climate negotiations, the 28th UN Climate Summit, COP28, has wrapped up in Dubai.

As world leaders and delegates negotiated on how to stay on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, 2023 was confirmed as the hottest year on record. And despite this obvious alarm bell, leaders still could not agree on a definitive phaseout of fossil fuels.

A lot happened at COP28 – here’s a rundown:

1. Launch of the Loss and Damage Fund

The good: The Loss and Damage Fund is finally operational.

The bad: Pledges fall short of what’s actually needed by climate-vulnerable countries.

Championed by Pasifika leaders, the fund allocates money to help developing countries cope with the impacts from the ongoing climate crisis. Even though the fund was first announced at COP27 last year, a lot of the funding arrangements were left up in the air. At COP28, wealthy nations responsible for climate change pledged a total of $700 million to the fund. Though it’s a good start, it’s still a drop in the ocean of what Pacific Island communities actually need to cover the costs of desperately needed climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Australia committed a pitiable $150 million to climate funding for the Pacific – a far cry from our fair share of $4 billion annually.

2. Australia signs Glasgow Statement

The good: Australia signs the Glasgow Statement.

The bad: It’s still unclear whether this will translate into much-needed action at home.

The Glasgow Statement is a joint agreement to end international public finance for fossil fuel projects. From 2016 to 2021, Australia funnelled $828 million in taxpayers money to overseas fossil fuel projects. Signing on to the Glasgow Statement means Australia will no longer finance international fossil fuel projects – a positive step that will help shift billions of dollars away from a polluting fossil fuel industry to clean renewables.

But domestic projects are not part of the agreement. The largest fossil fuel project in Australia up for Federal approval – Woodside’s monstrous Burrup Hub gas project – would release 6.1 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere if it goes ahead. This project is grossly incompatible with our net zero emissions targets, and would cause further climate harm to our Pasifika family. 

3. Global Stocktake

The good: There’s more awareness and unanimity around how off track we are from meeting the 1.5C goal

The bad: We are way off course from reaching the 1.5C goal

The disappointing:

The Global Stocktake is like a climate report card for countries, assessing how well they’re doing to reach their national emissions targets and limit global temperatures to 1.5C. COP28 made it undeniably clear just how severely off track we are from reaching that goal, helping to build consensus around the need for even more ambitious action, with minister Bowen saying that limiting global heating to 1.5C isn’t ‘up for compromise’. But, the horrifying reality is still how off course we are from meeting the 1.5C goal, and how quickly that window is closing.

The commitments made from this year’s COP and the actions taken after are critical, especially in meeting the 1.5C goal. For Pacific leaders and communities already on the frontlines of the climate crisis, 1.5C isn’t just a target, it’s a matter of ‘life or death’. 

What’s next? Where do we go from here?

After nearly 30 years of these climate change conferences, fossil fuels have finally been mentioned in the final text, but leaders fell short of calling for a phaseout, and the necessary finance required for developing nations to transition to clean energy.

After persistently calling for strong climate action and repeatedly sharing their stories of climate-induced trauma at these conferences, our Pasifika family deserved more.

It’s important to remember the human faces of the climate crisis, and what COP28 will mean for their lives – their homes, their cultures, languages, their very survival. With COP28 over, we’re armed with a new checklist of commitments to hold our leaders accountable. We have a responsibility to keep the pressure up, and make sure they follow through on these promises.

There is strong appetite for Australia to co-host COP31 with the Pacific. Yet Australia is the third largest exporter of fossil fuels – exports that cause immeasurable climate harm to the Pacific. If we want to be serious about hosting the UN Climate Conference in 2026, and reset our reputation as a leader in climate action – the Australian government must say no to all new fossil fuels.

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This year’s conference saw the first Global Stocktake (GST) of the world’s progress towards meeting its Paris Agreement commitment to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. There were high hopes from both the host nation and those attending that the Dubai COP would be a landmark event, where strong language and a clear timeline around fossil fuel phase out would be adopted, signalling the end of the fossil fuel era. 

Hard-fought battles waged over key elements of the GST text, from fossil fuel phase-out to phase-down, the use of so-called ‘abatement’ measures, and the need for financial support for the most climate-vulnerable nations, including the Pacific, who fought for the GST text to be adopted as whole package, rather than a menu of options. 

CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, David Ritter, said that while the final text is not what the world needs or deserves, Australia must now step-up on the international stage and commit to accelerating climate action domestically.

“While this isn’t what we hoped for, the text sends a clear message that there is an overwhelming momentum to end the fossil fuel era . Now we need developed countries to take the lead — to transition their economies in a way that is fast, fair and places justice at its core, and to offer financial support to the most climate-vulnerable nations.

“In his National Address at COP28, Minister Bowen gave us a glimmer of hope that he is ready to turn around a decade of climate inaction by previous governments. Now, Australia must turn this positive rhetoric into real action and to deliver the ambitious program of change that Australia needs to transition our energy systems and keep 1.5 degrees alive.

“We urge Minister Bowen to take every action possible at home to align our domestic emissions pathways to 1.5 degrees — that means no new coal and gas, and an end to fossil fuel subsidies. These are actions that the Albanese government can take right now and that will send a strong signal to our Pacific neighbours that we are standing with you, that we will fight for you.”

Speaking from Dubai, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Shiva Gounden, said that while there is limited progress in the final text, it does not go anywhere far enough to address the climate destruction being faced by communities across the globe.

“We’re deeply disappointed by the final text which, although recognises the science and the urgency of 1.5 degrees, ignores what the science is screaming at us to do and offers false solutions, rather than real actions. 1.5 degrees is not just an ambition — it’s a lifeline for Pacific communities facing an existential threat to their survival.

“As always, the resilient and powerful people of the Pacific will keep fighting. We’ve had some hard-fought wins, such as the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund on Day 1 which saw many nations step-up to start filling it. It is unfortunate that Australia chose not to commit to this critical fund and to acknowledge its role as a major contributor to the climate crisis globally.

“If Minister Bowen is serious in his commitment to our Pacific family, he must go beyond piecemeal announcements and address the elephant in the room — the expansion of the fossil fuel industry in Australia. By exporting fossil fuels, we are exporting climate destruction. I implore the Minister to accelerate climate action domestically and to ensure our emissions reductions targets are in line with a 1.5 degree future — the Pacific’s survival depends on it.”

Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Jess Panegyres, said that while having the words ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’ in the final text is an important signal, it’s far from the historic outcome that the world hoped for.

“The world has agreed on what’s needed – “transitioning away from fossil fuels” – but there is no action plan to do this yet. We will keep fighting for the action needed to keep 1.5 alive. To meet this COP28 commitment we must stop approving new coal and gas projects, stop subsidising fossil fuels and start paying into the Loss and Damage Fund.

“It was encouraging to hear Minister Bowen speak so strongly and passionately at his national address in Dubai about the need to phase out fossil fuels and take our commitment to 1.5 degrees seriously. Now, this must translate into real action at home. And the first step is not opening up new mega fossil fuel projects like Woodside’s Burrup Hub.

“Recently released data compiled by Greenpeace estimated that if all the coal and gas projects currently undergoing federal approvals went ahead, they would release a 20 billion tonne carbon bomb across their lifetimes — that’s equal to 14 times our domestic emissions. Expanding fossil fuels is not compatible with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. 

“Australia is perfectly placed to become a renewable energy superpower and reap the benefits of a clean, green economic future. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get on with the work of transitioning away from fossil fuels.”

—ENDS—

“The draft text is simply not good enough. World leaders can not say that they are listening to the science and committed to keeping 1.5 alive, but failing to commit to any firm action towards fossil fuel phase out.

“At COP28, we witness the grotesque theatre of nations like Saudi Arabia and the US clinging to fossil fuel interests and suffocating global progress toward a crucial phaseout. The desperation of millions facing cyclones, sinking nations and relentless suffering is dismissed in favour of bolstering the already bloated profits of the coal, oil and gas industries. 

“Securing a fossil fuel phase out is the first, second and third priority for Pasifika people. You have people negotiating a tweak to a paragraph or a single word in a text when our islands are literally sinking.

“This process is about us — this is about our people, Pacific Islanders, having to negotiate about the survival of our islands, survival of our cultures and survival of our people and climate vulnerable people across the world. Polluters, including Australia, have a moral and ethical responsibility both historically and currently to pay for the climate destruction they have caused.

“As a Pacific islander, and on behalf of Pasifika people, we demand that world leaders at this COP prioritise people and put aside short term thinking. We demand a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.

“Yet, amidst this bleak backdrop, flames of hope flicker. We will not give up our pursuit of climate justice. Despite the odds stacked against us, we stand unwavering, continuing the battle for a safe and sustainable future. Every day our calls for justice grow louder.”

—ENDS—

The announcement comes as Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen arrives in Dubai for Week 2 of COP28, where fraught battles over fossil fuel phase out and climate finance are set to be waged.

Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Shiva Gounden, said that “to meet its responsibility to ‘the Pacific Family’, Australia must take action to phase out fossil fuels and to make fair contributions to the Loss and Damage fund.”

“I am frustrated by another piecemeal announcement from the Australian government that does not go far enough to address the climate-driven loss and damage that is devastating communities across the Pacific.

“$150 million barely scratches the surface of what Pacific communities need to deal with the impacts of the climate crisis — peanuts, considering the billions of taxpayer dollars poured into the fossil fuel industry as subsidies every year, which could be channelled towards supporting our Pacific family.

“As the third largest fossil fuel exporter in the world, we can not shirk our responsibility to help pay for the climate damage we have helped to create. The funds committed today will not save the Pacific from the climate destruction it is facing — we must tackle the root causes and stop approving new fossil fuel projects now.

“Australia has a responsibility under the UNFCCC process to help fill the Loss and Damage Fund, operationalised on Day 1 of this year’s COP. Instead, we are seeing unilateral side deals which are not in the spirit of the COP process, nor our obligations under the international agreements to which we have signed up. Australia must do better.”

Head of Advocacy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Dr Susie Byers, acknowledged the finance package as a good first step, but urged the Australian government to go much further.

“This finance package, while welcome, is a down payment on the real action required to meet our responsibilities as a major contributor to the climate crisis globally.

“It does not negate our obligation to make fair payments to the Loss and Damage fund, a hard-fought victory at COP27 that will help support those countries least responsible for creating the climate crisis to deal with its impacts.

“Of course we must help the world prepare for the climate disasters that are already coming towards us, but we must also stop making the problem worse. By expanding, subsidising and exporting coal and fossil gas, we are exporting climate harm to our Pacific neighbours and to the whole world.

“We can not afford another COP without radical action and a commitment to phase out fossil fuels globally. Australia must help fill the Loss and Damage fund and outline a clear, ambitious plan to phase out fossil fuels for good.”

—ENDS—

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is on the ground in Dubai during COP28 and can provide a range of COP delegates, experts and Pacific climate leaders for interviews and commentary.

“Greenpeace welcomes the announcement from COP28 that Australia has joined over 40 nations in signing the Clean Energy Transition Partnership — a crucial move towards phasing out fossil fuels for good and a massive step forward for Australia.

“This important agreement will help to shift billions of dollars out of polluting fossil fuels and catalyse finance for clean, renewable energy. It sends a strong signal that the Australian government is serious about rebuilding its reputation on the global stage and is ready to step up to show what true climate leadership in our region can look like.

“Now, this must translate into action at home. It’s time for Australia to turn the tap off on the billions of taxpayer dollars poured into the fossil fuel industry every year and to stop approving new fossil fuel projects — including Woodside’s Burrup Hub which alone would generate twelve times more emissions than Australia does in a year.

“As COP28 progresses, we must keep the human faces of climate change front of mind, from our Pacific neighbours being devastated by sea level rise and cyclones, to Australians facing another summer of deadly bushfires and extreme heat. We can not limit warming to 1.5 degrees unless we keep all fossil fuels in the ground.”

—ENDS—

“Greenpeace welcomes the announcement that Australia will join over 100 countries at COP28 in support of a global push to triple renewable energy generation capacity by 2030 — a critical step if we have any chance of limiting temperature rises within 1.5 degrees.

“This follows on from last week’s important commitment by the Albanese government to fast-track the federally supported expansion of domestic renewable energy capacity to 32GW.

“With abundant sunshine and wind, Australia is in prime position to reap the economic benefits of the green energy transformation — creating jobs, providing cheaper and cleaner energy to all Australians, and driving down our emissions. But without concurrent action to phase out coal and gas, this commitment is just dealing with one side of the equation.

“The Australian government continues to drag its heels on fossil fuels. New data compiled by Greenpeace shows that if all the coal and gas projects currently undergoing federal approvals went ahead they would release a 22 billion tonne emissions bomb, severely undermining global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.

“The science is crystal clear that to keep 1.5 degrees alive, we must keep fossil fuels in the ground. For Pacific communities dealing with the compounding impacts of the climate crisis, a commitment to stop new fossil fuels is a statement of support for Pacific survival.

“I urge Minister Bowen to come to Dubai next week with an ambitious plan for ending coal and gas — this would send a strong signal that Australia is listening to our Pacific family and is serious about its climate responsibilities.”

—ENDS—

“We welcome the pledge from COP28 host country the United Arab Emirates to the new Loss and Damage Fund, a vital first step towards ensuring communities facing climate harm get the support they desperately need.

“For too long, those least responsible for causing the climate crisis have borne the brunt of climate impacts. We’re seeing this play out across the Pacific in real time as sea level rise, severe storms and cyclones, and warming oceans threaten livelihoods, security, and the unique and irreplaceable Pacific culture. 

“Now, the Fund needs to be filled. Finance must come from those most responsible for creating the climate crisis — the most polluting nations including Australia, as well as the fossil fuel industry, who for too long have made eye-watering profits from fuelling climate destruction and must now pay for the harm they have caused.

“As the third largest fossil fuel exporter in the world and a major contributor to global emissions, the Australian government has a responsibility to step up and make significant contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund. 

“If coupled with a serious commitment to phasing out fossil fuels, this would go a long way towards repairing our relationship with Pacific nations and being taken seriously as a climate leader on the international stage for a COP31 co-bid.

“We look forward to hearing from Minister Bowen on these critical issues when he arrives in Dubai next week.”

—ENDS—

Greenpeace Australia Pacific has revealed the first images of fossil fuel company Woodside dredging in endangered sea turtle habitat to lay a pipeline for its Burrup Hub gas project, and has vowed to escalate pressure on the company.

The annual climate conference commences as Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen delivers his second Annual Climate Change Statement, which is expected to show that Australia is on track to cut emissions by 42% by 2030. 

But when Minister Bowen lands in Dubai next week, he will face significant pressure over the government’s inaction on phasing out fossil fuels, with massive new coal and gas projects including Woodside’s Burrup Hub still in the pipeline — completely undermining any progress made towards reaching our 2030 target and limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Speaking from Dubai, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Shiva Gounden, said that if Australia is serious about showing true climate leadership in our region and partnering with Pacific nations to co-host COP31, its actions must match its rhetoric.

“We’ve seen a frustrating lack of ambition from the Australian government in the lead up to COP28, deploying chequebook diplomacy and making modest commitments which fall short of expectations to address the accelerating climate destruction we’re seeing in real time,” Gounden said.

“While progress towards reaching our emissions reduction target is positive, any gains are completely dwarfed by plans to expand fossil fuel exports. Does Minister Bowen really expect the world to praise Australia’s progress on meeting its 43% target, and ignore the colossal elephant in the room — the billions of tonnes of emissions generated if all the coal and gas projects currently undergoing federal approval went ahead?

“COP28 must be a moment of reckoning on fossil fuels. If we have any chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees — a figure which the Global Stocktake warns we are dangerously off course from meeting — we must keep fossil fuels in the ground and end the billions of dollars of subsidies poured into these polluting industries every year.

“1.5 degrees is not simply a ‘nice-to-have’ — it’s a lifeline for our Pacific communities who are facing urgent threats to their livelihoods, their culture, their very existence.

“The Australian government’s actions in Dubai must match its rhetoric. I urge Minister Bowen to come to COP28 with a real plan to phase out fossil fuels and to make significant contributions to a Loss and Damage fund to help support Pacific nations grappling with climate harm — there is no time to lose.”

—ENDS—

Greenpeace Australia Pacific will be on the ground in Dubai during COP28 and can provide a range of COP delegates, experts and Pacific climate leaders for interviews and commentary.

Greenpeace Germany activists hung a 150 square metre banner with the slogan “Gas destroyed” (Gas Zerstört) and “No New Gas”. A huge 15-metre-wide billboard displayed in front of Uniper HQ referenced its relationship with Woodside, reading: “Uniper – Whales suffer at state expense”. 

Activists also played whale songs and underwater seismic blasting in the atrium. 

The protest comes in the wake of Woodside losing a court case brought by First Nations woman Raelene Cooper. A Federal court judge ruled last week that Raelene Cooper was not properly consulted on Woodside’s plans to seismic blast in whale habitat off the coast of Exmouth, Western Australia.

“The eyes of the world are on Woodside – there’s nowhere for it to hide. People across the world care about Australia’s precious wildlife and oceans, and they don’t want to see them harmed by Woodside’s dirty gas,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Richard George said.

Woodside’s reckless attitude to our oceans and climate will drive away its customers, leaving the Burrup Hub a costly and destructive white elephant.”

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling on Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to protect Australia’s oceans by stopping the next phase of the Burrup Hub – the North West Shelf extension and Browse.

Greenpeace Germany is demanding Uniper withdraw from the purchase agreements with Woodside. 

“It is not acceptable that a German state-owned company contributes with its reckless business to destroying a unique marine area with whales, sea turtles and sensitive coral reefs,” Greenpeace ocean expert Franziska Saalmann said.

“Now is the moment for Uniper to stop its destructive gas plans and thus remove the financial basis for this project.”

Woodside plans to lay over 1,300 kilometres of pipelines off the west coast of Australia for fossil gas. Along with RWE, Uniper is Woodside’s main customer in Germany. 

The Burrup Hub will spew out more than six billion tonnes of carbon emissions in its lifetime until 2070, and its fossil fuel gas will condemn Australia to more floods, fires and droughts.  

—ENDS—

Photos and vision can be found here.

The final resolution has landed at  the UN General Assembly, where members will be asked to refer the matter to the ICJ, the world’s highest court. It is the product of five months of negotiations and consultations, with nations working together to shape the future of climate justice.

It also meets the promise of the long-running campaign which began in a university classroom in Vanuatu. More than 1,500 civil society groups across 130 countries have endorsed the Vanuatu government’s proposal, while dozens of countries have championed the initiative, which is expected to strengthen states’ obligations to protect human rights from the adverse effects of climate change and catalyse more ambitious climate action.

Vishal Prasad, campaigner, Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, said: “Our journey to this point has been long. It has had to overcome barriers and challenges. But it has picked up supporters from around the world, from citizens to leaders, all with different backgrounds and experiences but all united by a single mission – climate justice.

“From a classroom in Vanuatu, to the universally recognised seat of power for multilateral action, we have stayed the course to help save the lives, livelihoods, and ways of life of current and future generations.

“The resolution text is a result of months of consultation and negotiation, but importantly, it reflects the calls from young people around the world. Now those calls must be heeded by every member of the United Nations General Assembly by supporting the resolution. Our futures depend on it.”

Katrina Bullock, General Counsel for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “This advisory opinion was of the utmost importance when it was first proposed by students in the Pacific, and has only become more urgent since.

“The Pacific is on the frontline of the climate crisis, and the IPCC states the window for taking meaningful action is rapidly closing. This is not a matter of global politicking, but of a global imperative.

“The impact of the resolution passing would be groundbreaking and help to tackle some of the greatest challenges every nation and person on earth faces. We are calling on every nation to support the resolution and change the course of climate history.”

Rose Kulak, Climate Justice Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia, said: “This campaign to take the human rights impacts of climate change to the world’s highest court is about recognising that we are at a point where we are now measuring the climate crisis in human lives. Together, we must be bold and ambitious to shape climate action to safeguard human rights to health, food, water, housing, livelihoods and life itself.

“We need governments to urgently change what they are doing, recognise that inaction on climate change amounts to human rights violations, and fully support this crucial step towards better protecting the human rights of present and future generations.”

—ENDS—

Notes

• Images of Pacific activists sailing past the UN HQ to the State of Liberty calling on nations to support climate justice are available for download here