Live updates: Follow the latest news on Cop28
Cop28 has hit the pause button and Thursday is an official rest day – but there's still plenty more to come.
The conference started strongly with a historic loss and damage deal agreed to, leading to optimism all over the world that breakthroughs could be made at Dubai's Expo City.
So what has happened so far and what can we expect when the summit resumes on Friday?
Major announcements and billions of dollars in finance
Eleven pledges and declarations on vital areas such as food, peace and recovery, renewable energy and efficiency, methane and decarbonising heavy emitting industries dominated the first few days. The food declaration, for example, was signed by more than 100 countries and seeks to put climate at the heart of agriculture.
Scaling up climate finance is also critical in tackling climate change, with the Cop presidency on Wednesday stating more than $80 billion has been mobilised so far, including funds pledged for loss and damage.
Respecting the science and answering sceptics
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President, on Monday said he and the presidency “respect the science” and understand the urgent need for climate action.
He reiterated the long-standing position that the “north star” of the presidency was keeping 1.5ºC within reach.
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, also said the UAE was answering its sceptics at Cop28 while changing international perceptions about what the country stands for.
Climate talks take centre stage
Negotiators are now working long into the night, particularly on the global stocktake. This will assess how the world is doing in its goal – agreed to in Paris in 2015 – of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Several iterations have been issued so far. It is a basic text and subject to change but it did leave open several options on the future of fossil fuels.
“There are areas where a lot of the text has been agreed but there are other negotiations that are a little bit more difficult,” said Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Samoa’s Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Lands.
“Overall I’d say not too bad.”
Fossil fuels: phase out, phase down and what unabated means
One of the key issues at this summit is the future of fossil fuels, the primary driver of global emissions.
The Cop28 presidency has called on parties to come forward with language on fossil fuels.
Dr Al Jaber on Monday said the “phase down” and “phase out” of fossil fuels was “inevitable” – the farthest he has gone so far in addressing this.
More than 100 countries, including the US and the EU, have already said they want to see a phase out of fossil fuels. Hard talks lie ahead as countries such as Russia and Saudi Arabia have been historically resistant to such language.
Unabated – meaning fossil fuels used without carbon capture technologies – also keeps cropping up, but many experts say carbon capture has yet to be proven at scale.
How is the summit going?
“It’s a story of the glass being both half full and half empty,” said Tim Benton, research director at Chatham House, where he leads the environment and society centre. “Attendees are also simultaneously hopeful and depressed.”
Prof Benton said the loss and damage win, scaling up renewables and the declarations were reason to hope but many areas are “mired in tensions, with little progress towards what many hope will an ambitious final negotiated text”.
The second week of Cop28 will also see the presidency take a more active role in the process.
It will identify areas where work needs to be done, help parties find common ground and try to guide the talks to a successful outcome on Tuesday.
What kind of final decision can we expect?
Cops tend to feature what is known as a cover decision – typically an announcement made at the end that outlines what has been achieved. Last year’s included an agreement to establish a loss and damage fund.
This year, we know parties are working on the stocktake text. It is seen as increasingly likely that this will be the main outcome from Cop28. Although a separate cover decision cannot be ruled out at this stage. Cop28 might also see a separate political declaration on the stocktake but this is unconfirmed.
“The global stocktake is the centrepiece of the Cop outcome and will carry the most politically important messages to the world,” said Tom Evans, climate change expert at think tank E3G.
“At Cop27 in Egypt and before that at Cop26 in Glasgow, those were the so-called ‘cover texts’ – and this year at Cop28, it looks like the global stocktake decision is essentially serving that function.”
Will Cop28 go into an extra day?
Cop28 is due to finish on December 12, but Cops are notorious for overshooting this deadline. Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh, for example, was expected to finish on a Friday but did not end until early on Sunday.
It is difficult to assess now if Cop28 will take this trajectory but it should become clearer by early next week.
“Next week will be long, hard and fractious,” said Prof Benton. “But there remains a lot to play for.”
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Prep (PA) Dh100,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
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Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
