As politicians and experts debate on the past and upcoming challenges to be aligned with the 1.5°C Paris agreement target, climate activists outside COP28 in Dubai say not enough is being done to combat the climate crisis.
ADVERTISEMENTNegotiators at the COP28 summit in Dubai have produced the Global Stocktake, which aims to become the core document of the talks.
It will provide guidance to analyse what’s happened since the 2015 Paris climate agreement, how off-track it is and what can be done to correct things, providing a basis to move forward.
Remaining aligned with the 2015 target of a maximum of 1.5°C above current temperatures is the negotiators' main objective.
"There's going to have to be substantial progress on reducing emissions and creating a trajectory of decarbonisation that brings us to alignment with 1.5 by 2030, so we have seven years to do this," says COP28 CEO Adnan Amin. "So either we can stay mired in debates about language, or we can find practical ways to get this done."
'Frustration levels are really high'
Many protesters outside the venue share Amin's determination - but not his enthusiasm.
"People's frustration levels are really high about these conferences," deplores Lydinyda Nacpil, an activist at Asia Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development. "In fact, some have lost any hope in this process. But we are here because we believe we cannot solve the problem if governments do not act".
She insists the problem is global, but governments are the ones with the power to act.
Activists are pushing for a complete phasing out of fossil fuels, which they claim is the only way to meet the climate warming crisis.