United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 30, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
DUBAI — This year’s COP28 climate summit, being held in the glitzy Middle East city of Dubai, clicks into its first full day of scheduled events on Friday.
Britain’s King Charles III, who has spent decades working on environmental issues, is expected to address the conference.
World leaders including Kenyan President William Ruto, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud are scheduled to speak at the meeting. A second day of leaders’ speeches is planned for Saturday.
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On the sidelines, expect a raft of new pledges from governments, companies, and non-profits promising funding toward various climate efforts, from adaptation to boosting the energy transition. There also could be further progress announced in overhauling multi-development banks and other public lenders.
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The summit’s opening on Thursday, November 30, featured pleas by the COP28 president, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, for all parties to work together toward a consensus on the future of fossil fuels.
The delegates also struck an early victory by adopting a previously negotiated deal to set up a new UN fund to help poor countries cope with costly climate disasters.