The climate crisis must be tackled now. The EU and its member states took a leading role in securing a global agreement to scale up climate ambition and finance, and to set new global energy goals.
The 28th United Nations climate change conference (COP28) took place from 30 November to 13 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The EU and its 27 member states attended the event as parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The main topics of COP28 were:
- global stocktake
- mitigation
- adaptation
- climate finance, including the loss and damage fund
Climate ambition
COP28 included the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement, which measured the progress towards the climate goals set by the agreement.
The stocktake highlighted the need for a peak of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and for their reduction by 43% by 2030 and by 60% by 2035, compared to 2019 levels, in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C. It noted that some countries are off track when it comes to meeting their Paris Agreement goals.
Parties agreed to submit their updated climate plans for 2035 by COP30 and that these should be aligned with the the 1.5°C limit based on the best available science and the outcomes of the 2023 global stocktake.
The Earth belongs to our children. That is not an advertising slogan. It is an existential truth. The coming decade will be decisive and we are fully committed to working with every one of you to protect humanity.
European Council President Charles Michel at COP28, 1 December 2023
A framework for a global goal on adaptation was agreed, together with agreements on the need to secure finance for adaptation work.
Energy
Increased efforts on climate change mitigation are essential. The energy sector is one where emissions cuts can have the biggest impacts in the short term.
At COP28, the EU and its countries pushed parties to agree on global energy goals:
- transitioning away from fossil energy: parties agreed to progressively move away from fossil fuels in the energy sector by 2050
- renewables and energy efficiency: parties agreed to triple global renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030
Finance
The EU and its member states remain firmly committed to delivering the $100 billion goal set by the Paris Agreement and to double adaptation finance.
At COP27 in 2022 the EU was pivotal in launching a new global fund on loss and damage to support vulnerable countries in overcoming the destruction caused by climate change.
At COP28, the EU and its member states pledged over half of the initial funding for the loss and damage fund (over €400 million).
As a whole, the EU and its countries are the largest provider of climate finance globally. In 2022, they contributed €28.5 billion in climate finance from public sources and mobilised an additional €11.9 billion of private finance to support developing countries in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
What is the role of the EU at COP?
The EU and its member states are parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and have all ratified the Paris Agreement. They attend the conference of the parties (COP) meetings annually and take part in the negotiations set by the climate convention.
At the COP28 meetings, the EU is represented by European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the rotating presidency of the Council. The EU delegation taking part in the negotiations is led by the European Commission and the Council’s presidency.
The Council agrees on the EU’s negotiating position by approving Council conclusions ahead of the COP meetings. The position for COP28 was agreed upon at the October 2023 Environment Council.
During the negotiations the Council’s presidency plays a coordinating role to ensure that the 27 EU member states speak with one voice.
