Ogbonge COP28 reach deal wey dey worry developing kontris

Almost 200 kontris don agree on a ground-breaking deal to waka comot from burning coal, oil and gas for fuel, but some developing kontris dey worry about di agreement wey dey weak and thin in detail.

Di 28th United Nations Conference of di Parties (COP28) for Dubai dis year bin get one primary goal - to put di world back on track to keep global warming below 1.5C.

But, as di final discussions end and tempers start to show, di plan look like wetin no dey serious.

Di summit be like a deal or no deal situation. All di 198 kontris wey dey take part must agree on one statement or waka comot wit notin.

One initial draft text shock many nations and make dem para, dis nations wey bin dey expect to see language on di “phasing out” of burning fossil fuels. Instead, na tok-tok wey continue to di eleventh hour finally produce one agreement wey dem watered-down to “transition from fossil fuels”.

Tori be say kontris wey belong to di Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) dey among di nations wey dey push hardest against a global agreement to end fossil fuels.

Oil-producing kontris, like UAE, instead lobby for a greater focus on carbon capture technologies.

Despite di last-minute agreement, kontris like Bolivia and Samoa voice dia concern say di deal no also ask developed kontris to lead di transition away from fossil fuels.

Dem tok say e no dey fair say all kontris dey expected to waka comot from fossil fuel di same time wen developed kontris don already benefit economically from using oil, gas and coal.

And most importantly, di money to achieve di transition dem neva mention am. Di text only "note di need" for more finance for poorer nations to transfer away from fossil fuels and prepare for climate change.

Oxfam International’s Climate Change Policy Lead, Nafkote Dabi, no make any beta point in describing di outcome of di meeting as “grossly inadequate.”

“COP28 dey miles away from di historic and ambitious outcome wey dem promise,” she tok.

“COP28 dey doubly disappointing because e no put any money on for table to help developing kontris transition to renewable energies.

And rich kontris again no do dia duties to help pipo wey dey affected by di worst impacts of climate breakdown, like di pipo wey dey for di Horn of Africa wey bin don lose evritin recently sake of flooding, afta an historic five-season drought and years of hunger.”

Chatham House research fellow Ruth Townend say dem ask developing kontris to “beat a completely new direction to development” so dem bin really wan try to understand more about funding dat route.

But despite di misgivings, COP28 still succeed in bringing togeda ova 100,000 delegates, negotiators, lobbyists, members of royal families and lawyers from all over di world to discuss climate issues, plan for di future and showcase learning from climate change innovation.

Five takeaways from di discussions and debates of COP28:

Renewable energy

More dan 100 kontris agreed to triple renewable energy for di world by 2030. For inspiration, dem fit look upto nations like Uruguay wey dey generate 98% of dia energy from renewables.

Before di summit di US and China sign one bi-lateral deal to work to boost renewable energy deployment and advance carbon capture projects.

Di two kontris don also set to include all greenhouse gases for dia next national climate plans, due in 2025.

Meanwhile, 50 oil and gas companies agreed to cut methane emissions and eliminate routine flaring.

Methane na one of di most potent greenhouse gases and e dey responsible for a third of current warming from human activities.

Although US president Joe Biden decided not to attend di summit by imsef, im Climate Envoy, John Kerry, commit to slashing methane emissions.

Health

Dis year, COP28 see im first ever Health Day. Donors across di world pledge over $700 million to help fight neglected tropical diseases, one proposal wey go benefit nations across Africa.

Part of di funding pledge na to wipe out two neglected African tropical diseases by 2030 - lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis wey dey popular as river blindness.

River blindness na eye and skin disease wey parasitic worm dey cause, and e dey dey transmitted thru exposure to repeated bites from infected blackflies. According to di Gates Foundation, di disease na di leading cause of sight loss for sub-Saharan Africa. Dem fit treat am wit one drug called ivermectin.

In 2023, Niger na di first African nation to wipe river blindness out and Senegal dey on track to become di second. Hope day for Tanzania to be di next kontri to reach dis milestone.

Loss and damage fund

For COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh leaders bin agreed at di very last minute to create a Loss and Damage Fund to support kontris, largely for di Global South, to cope wit di devastating impact wey climate change don already dey get, including floods, forest fires and droughts.

Dem adopt dis Loss and Damage Fund on di first day of COP28 and kontris pledge over $700 million.

But despite di pledges, analysts say di fund fall far short of wetin di Global South really need.

Right now, plenti kontris dey for East Africa wey need urgent help afta large swathes of land bin submerged due to flooding wey dem bin no expect.

Somalia alone say dem go need over five billion dollars a year for financial help dis decade.

Nature

For beta tori, COP28 see di commissioning of one in-depth scientific report to study di Congo Basin – di second largest rainforest for di world.

Dem bin don give dis report di greenlight on di sidelines of di summit. E go follow a similar route to di Science Panel for di Amazon, wey dem bin commissioned in 2021, wey lead to a 1,300-page report wey summarise scientific consensus about di rainforest.

Dis new deep dive into di nature and ecology of di Congo Basin go include sections on how di rainforest dey regulate di regional climate and how human don affect im ecosystem.

Controversy

For di run up to di summit, one BBC scoop reveal say host nation UAE bin plan to use di conference to strike oil and gas deals.

Leaked documents show say UAE bin plan to discuss fossil fuel deals wit 15 nations.

In response, di UN body responsible for di summit say e bin expect di conference host to act without bias or self-interest.

Di UAE team no deny say dem bin wan use COP28 meetings for business tok-tok and stress say dem believe say "private meetings dey private".

As dem no agree to comment on wetin dem bin discuss for dis meetings, dem tok say dia work dey focused on "meaningful climate action".

Meanwhile, COP28 President and UAE oil executive, Sultan Al-Jaber, become a hate figure for activists afta im tok for one event before di summit say im no believe say net zero dey possible.

One kontri wey dey hope to benefit from di Loss and Damage Fund, na Nigeria, wey dey give 1411 delegate badges to attend di summit – di same number as China.

Di Nigerian opposition party claim say dis group include “wives, girlfriends and hangers-on”. Di decision to send a large delegation raise conversation on social media as pipo say na a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Brazil get new friends and also loss friends for di meeting dis year.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, make one impassioned speech wia e tok say e no dey possible to tackle di climate crisis witout also tackling inequality. However, di kontri at di same time announce say dem dey join di biggest oil cartel for di world - OPEC.

On di oda hand, Colombia President Gustavo Petro win plaudits as e join one international collabo wey dey call for a agreement to end fossil fuels.

Dem also praise am as e tok about how kontris go need to pass a different path to sustainable development wihout too much reliance on coal and gas.