Increase the standards at the UN climate summit is the call from COP28 head Jaber
COP28 Delivers Historic Commitments, but Challenges Persist
At the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, significant strides have been made in the fight against climate change, yet persistent challenges remain.
Phasedown of Fossil Fuels
For the first time at COP28, countries have agreed to a historic commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, marking a significant step forward. However, discussions remain contentious, with some countries resisting the phase-out of fossil fuels. The COP28 Action Plan emphasizes ending approvals for new unabated coal plants, shutting down existing plants early, zeroing methane emissions by 2030 in the oil and gas sector, and tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Global Stocktake (GST)
The first GST provided an unequivocal assessment that the world is severely off track to meet the Paris Agreement goals. This has created pressure for a "course correction," but the concrete form of this remains under negotiation. There is momentum to set ambitious targets, but fossil fuel phase-out pathways are still intensely debated.
Climate Finance
Finance remains a central sticking point. The collective quantified goal for climate finance was set at USD 300 billion annually by 2035 at COP29, but this is widely viewed as inadequate and vague. COP28 aims to operationalize the Loss and Damage fund—a breakthrough agreement from COP27—but the details are complex with technical and political hurdles delaying full implementation. Developed countries face pressure to fulfill and exceed the USD 100 billion per year commitment, replenish the Green Climate Fund, and boost adaptation finance significantly, with demands to triple it by 2030 from developing countries.
Adaptation
Despite some progress, adaptation remains a major disappointment according to experts. Funding and implementation gaps leave vulnerable communities underprepared and exposed to climate impacts. Calls to significantly increase adaptation finance and address loss and damage are central but insufficiently met at COP28.
Notable Progress and Persistent Challenges
As of August 2025, COP28 negotiations show notable progress and persistent challenges across key areas like the phasedown of fossil fuels, global stocktake, climate finance, and adaptation. The negotiations reflect a cautious, politically fraught transition from debate toward action, with many expecting stronger pledges and results to emerge in subsequent meetings, including COP30.
Key Developments
- Countries, businesses, and philanthropies have pledged to mobilize $83 billion in climate finance.
- When the summit resumes on December 8, countries will start to tackle the finer details, and COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber is expected to outline his work plan for the second week.
- A loss and damage fund to aid countries stricken by climate-driven disasters was agreed upon on the opening day of the COP28 summit.
- Draft texts for the global stocktake show numerous options for national climate plans to take up, meaning ministers must address a lack of consensus.
In summary, COP28 has delivered historic commitments on fossil fuel reductions and loss and damage finance, but severe challenges remain, especially in adaptation finance and narrowing ambition gaps revealed by the global stocktake.
Environmental science experts have hailed the loss and damage fund agreement, a landmark move at COP28, as a step towards addressing climate-driven disasters, yet financing remains a significant challenge in ensuring its implementation. Meanwhile, the phase-out of fossil fuels, a key commitment at COP28, faces political resistance, highlighting the role of politics in climate-change mitigation initiatives. These developments underscore the need for increased general-news coverage on these pressing environmental science issues.
