COP28 Day 3 top developments: Over 110 nations pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030

Climate activists attend the COP28 in Dubai and speak of their expectations for the summit.

With some 80,000 participants, this COP is officially the largest ever UN climate summit, largely exceeding last year’s record of 49,000 attendees at the COP27 in Egypt. “I've come to call for international law to set the framework for a secure global future, to really prevent serious climate damage, to protect biodiversity,” says one activist. 

US climate envoy John Kerry and China's climate envoy Xie Zhenhua attend a conference with COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber and Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the global need to reduce methane emissions at UN climate talks in the oil-rich UAE.

118 countries have agreed to triple installed global renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts and to double the annual global average rate of energy efficiency improvements from ~2 percent to more than 4 percent every year until 2030, COP28 post said on X. 

Some 117 governments pledged to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030 at the U.N.'s COP28 climate summit on Saturday, as a route to cut the share of fossil fuels in the world's energy production, reported Reuters.

The UAE has pledged $150 million in new funding for water security solutions in fragile and vulnerable communities.
 

Speaking at the health event during the COP28 World Climate Action Summit, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber announced that 123 countries have endorsed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health, which seeks to increase cross-sector collaboration, reduce emissions in the health sector and increase climate-health financing.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry stated that achieving climate targets to reduce emissions will not be possible without having an increase in the use of nuclear as a source of energy. Speaking at international climate talks (COP28) in Dubai on Saturday, Kerry was pleased to announce that the US will be investing more funds into nuclear energy.

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Dubai, on the sidelines of the third day of the COP28 climate conference. 
 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls for "a firm determination to phase out fossil fuels, beginning with coal," during his speech at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. 

US Vice President Kamala Harris told the UN's COP28 conference on Saturday that the United States will contribute $3 billion to a global climate fund -- its first pledge since 2014.

"Today, we are demonstrating through action how the world can and must meet this (climate) crisis," Harris told world leaders at the summit in Dubai.

Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pieto Parolin while quoting Pope Francis calls for COP28 in Dubai to become "a turning point" on the road to achieving "a decisive acceleration of the ecological transition." 

Expressing regret for his impossibility to be present in Dubai for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Pope Francis reiterated his belief that “the future of us all depends on the present that we now choose.”

In a hard-hitting message, delivered on his behalf by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope told the COP assembly that his presence serves to remind them that “the destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural, one that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.”

Only 110 nations agreed to a pledge aimed at tripling the world's installed renewable energy by 2030 on Saturday during the COP28 Summit. 

The EU, US and COP28 host UAE have been rallying support for the campaign to achieve net zero carbon emission goal.

"More than 110 countries have joined already," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the COP28 summit on Thursday of the renewables pledge. "I call now on all of us to include these targets in the final COP decision."

Politico reported Saturday that global leaders were using the COP28 platform to discuss Israel-Hamas war, amid concerns that the core issue of the summit might get pushed to the backburner.

"Israeli president Isaac Herzog spent much of the morning in meetings telling fellow leaders about “how Hamas blatantly violates the ceasefire agreements,” according to a post on his X account. He ended up skipping a speech he was meant to give during Friday’s parade of world leaders," Politico reported.

Not just that, several Saudi, Qatari and Iranian leaders were also seen prioritisng Israel-Hamas conflict ahead of the climate crisis.

-India pitches to host COP33 in 2028
-The PM held 7 bilateral meetings in total.
-First meet with Israeli President since Oct 7, condolences & focus on humanitarian aid.
-First meet with Maldives' Muizzu; No mention of military removal 
-PM Modi, Italian PM Meloni take selfie, propelling #Melodi to take over the internet.

More than 20 nations called for the tripling of world nuclear energy capacity by 2050 on Saturday (Dec 2).

The declaration was endorsed by nations like United States, Japan, and several European countries. They agreed that nuclear energy would play a key role in achieving zero carbon emissions.

The 2023 Reaching the Last Mile Forum is aimed to galvanise the new momentum, innovation, and investment to address climate-health challenges confronting last-mile communities.

The forum is convening with 'global, frontline, and community leaders to promote resilient health systems that leave no one behind', according to an official readout.

"The event will be a platform to assess the effects of climate change on human health, with an emphasis on last-mile efforts to end diseases such as polio, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases," it had added.

Countries around the world are facing economic losses worth billions due to extreme weather conditions. 

In a bid to help developing and poor countries cope with climate crisis, the COP28 climate summit hit its "first major milestone" on November 30, by operationalising the "Loss and Damage" fund.

"This fund will support billions of people, lives and livelihoods that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change," COP28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber said.

Italy under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pledged 100 million Euros ($108 million) for "Loss and Damage" fund. 

Loss and Damage refers to irreversible damages caused by climate change. Vulnerable nations like small islands and African states have long demanded a dedicated fund to support recovery from extreme weather events and slow-onset events such as rising sea levels, an existential threat for countries in Pacific and Caribbean region.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the world's fifth largest economy has 'walked the talk' on climate action. 

"India has walked the talk when it comes to climate action. Our achievements in different sectors like renewable energy, energy efficiency, afforestation, energy conservation, and Mission LiFE are testament to the commitment of our people towards Mother Earth. In keeping with our civilizational ethos, India has always laid emphasis on climate action even as we pursue social and economic development. During our G20 presidency, climate was a high priority. The New Delhi Leaders' Declaration includes numerous concrete steps on climate action and sustainable development. I look forward to the COP-28 taking forward the consensus on these issues," Modi said ahead of COP28 summit, setting in motion a new momentum in New Delhi's actions to combat Climate Change.