What exactly is CLIMATE ACTION?
A super hero donning their cape flying into battle? Muscle bound heroes or heroines on the screen taking down the bad guys one at a time? 007 using gadgets from Q to get out of a sticky situation?
All answers are close in some regard, but not quite there.
Climate action refers to efforts taken to fight climate change and its effects. These efforts involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions through climate mitigation and/or taking action to prepare for and adjust to both the current effects of climate change and the predicted impacts in the future through climate adaptation.
Even before ratifying the Paris Agreement and being a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as well as the Kyoto Protocol, Trinidad and Tobago has been working to fight climate change. This year, during the period November 30th – December 12th, 2023, Trinidad and Tobago has been invited by the UNFCCC Secretariat to participate in the Twenty-Eighth Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP 28, and Related Meetings of the various constituted bodies to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Planning and Development Minister the Honourable Pennelope Beckles is the head of Trinidad and Tobago’s delegation to COP28. Also in attendance from the Ministry of Planning and Development will be Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Head of the Multilateral Environment Agreements Unit – Environmental Policy and Planning Division; Ms. Aditi Bisramsingh, Climate Change Specialist and Ms. Danielle Sookram, Research Analyst. The delegation will also comprise government representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries as well as non-government representatives from corporations, NGOs and climate and environmental based organisations.
At COP 28 and related meetings, the focus will be centered on four paradigm shifts:
- Fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030;
- transforming climate finance by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on finance;
- putting nature, people, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate actions; and
- mobilising for the most inclusive COP.
COP 28 will also present the findings of the first Global Stock-take of the implementation of the Paris Agreement which assessed four major themes – mitigation, adaptation, implementation and support. Discussions on the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Agreement by the transitional committee set up at COP 27 are expected to continue, as well as climate finance challenges are to be continually addressed in a manner which creates trust in the process.
It is noteworthy, that COP 28 follows from the success of COP 27 at which a landmark decision was reached with respect to “loss and damage” for funding to be provided to vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters.
As such, Trinidad and Tobago, as a Small Island Developing State, will continue to ensure that its interests are well represented and emphasised at this fora along with other like-minded Parties such as Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Group of 77 and China (G77 and China). Given that Trinidad and Tobago has also developed an Implementation Plan and a Financial Investment Plan for its nationally determined contributions (NDC), the success of this execution of the NDC will hinge on Trinidad and Tobago’s continued understanding and compliance with the evolving UNFCCC framework.
NDCs are countries’ individual plans for climate action to contribute to the global targets set out in the Paris Agreement. For information, agendas, speeches and more on COP28, visit www.cop28.com
