2023 was a record-breaking year for all the wrong reasons. It was overall the hottest in human history, both on land and at sea, by a big margin.
After a fraught fortnight, COP28 has now officially ended. Despite low expectations even before the event started, some landmark progress on fossil fuel abatement was made – though the deal is far from what was hoped for.
The annual COP (Conference of the Parties) summits are the focal point of international climate diplomacy, yet many feel they are being fundamentally undermined. COP28, currently underway in Dubai, has been particularly controversial even before it got started – but despite these controversies, there is hope that significant progress could be made in some important negotiations.
China's transition to renewable energy is ahead of schedule, with its renewable energy targets set to be smashed by 2025. Doubling of China's renewable energy capacity and increasing the world's solar installations by 85% and wind turbines by 50%.
The diplomatic talks in Bonn faced challenges over climate finance and the overall vision for COP28. Disagreements over funding and phasing out fossil fuels hindered progress.
