Dubai – “The planet is fed up with unfulfilled climate agreements, neglected carbon emission reduction targets, insufficient financial aid to poor countries, and eloquent empty speeches – we need concrete attitudes,” criticized the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in his speeches at the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) and in the first session of the High-Level Segment for heads of state and government, in Dubai, this Friday (01).
“Instead of joining forces, the world wages wars, divides, and deepens poverty and inequalities,” said Lula. He asked how many world leaders are actually committed to saving the planet, given that last year alone, the world spent more than USD 2 trillion on weapons.
“It is unacceptable that the promise of USD 100 billion per year made by developed countries does not come to fruition while, in 2021 alone, military spending reached USD 2.22 trillion. An amount that could be invested in fighting hunger and tackling climate change,” he said.
Lula said that the wealthiest 1% of the planet emits the same amount of carbon as 66% of the world’s population. The president also questioned the impact of conflicts on the climate and the injustice of wars.
“How many tonnes of carbon are emitted by missiles that cross the sky and fall on innocent civilians, especially starving children and women? The climate change bill is not the same for everyone. And it arrived first for the poorest populations,” he declared.
Lula mentioned the tragic drought in the Amazon and the storms and cyclones that left a trail of destruction in the southern region of his country. “2023 is already the hottest year in the last 125,000 years. Humanity suffers from increasingly extreme and frequent droughts, floods, and heat waves. Science and reality show us that now there is a price to pay. The planet will no longer wait to demand it from the next generation,” he said.
Vulnerabilities
The president said that “the world has naturalized unacceptable disparities in income, gender, and race” and that it is not possible to tackle climate change without fighting inequality.
“Those who are hungry have their existence trapped in the pain of the present. They become unable to think about tomorrow.” For him, reducing socioeconomic vulnerabilities means building resilience in the face of extreme events. “It also means being able to redirect efforts towards the fight against global warming,” he said.
“The most vulnerable cannot choose between fighting climate change or poverty. They will have to do both. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is non-negotiable. Jeopardizing it goes against any basic notion of climate justice. This notion demands that financing and technology transfer commitments be fulfilled,” said Lula.
Lula compared the current moment with that in which he participated in COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009 when a great effort was needed to reach the Paris Agreement in 2015. “Upon returning to the presidency of Brazil, I realized that we are, today, in a similar situation. Failure to fulfill the commitments undermines the government’s credibility,” he said.
Multilateralism
Criticizing the countries of the Global North, Lula said it is necessary to recover the belief in multilateralism. “It is inexplicable that the UN, despite its efforts, is unable to maintain peace simply because some of its members profit from war. Regrettably, agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol (1997) or the Paris Agreements (2015) are not enforced,” he said.
The Brazilian leader said that governments cannot escape their responsibilities and no country will solve its problems alone. “We all have to act together beyond our borders,” he said.
Loss and damage fund
In addition to Lula, the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the secretary-general of the UN, Antonio Guterres, spoke at the opening and praised the COP28 for having started this Thursday (30) with the announcement of a historic investment agreement to support countries most affected by the climate crisis, worth USD 420 million. The European Union will contribute USD 246 million, the United Arab Emirates USD 100 million, and the United States USD 17.5 million – other countries will also collaborate. The amounts, however, were considered meager.
King Charles of the United Kingdom spoke before Lula. After the president, the floor was given to Brazilian Isabel Prestes da Fonseca, indigenous leader of the Munduruku people and co-founder and environmental director of the Zag Institute, which is dedicated to afforestation.
OPEC+
This Thursday (30), Brazil was invited to participate in OPEC+, a group of oil-producing countries and their allies. The minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, declared that the invitation is under analysis and that president Lula will make the final decision. Considering this possibility, Silveira said that Brazil’s goal will be to discuss the position of oil-producing countries in this phase of global energy transition. The Environment and Climate Change minister of Brazil, Marina Silva, told the press her country would participate in the organization as an observer.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
