As COP28 enters its final stretch, Simon Stiell calls for a “Highest Ambition” outcome

The following is a transcript of a statement UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell delivered to journalists at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) on Monday 11 December 2023 in Dubai.

Good morning all, are we surviving?

We do not have a minute to lose in this crucial home stretch, and none of us have had much sleep, so I’m going to be incredibly brief in my remarks.

Negotiators have a chance, right here in Dubai over the next 24 hours, to start a new chapter – one that really delivers for people and planet.

The highest climate ambition means more jobs, stronger economies, stronger economic growth, less pollution, better health.

Much more resilience, protecting people in every country from the climate wolves at our doors.

Secure, affordable, safe energy for all, through a renewables energy revolution that leaves no country or community behind, instead leaving our dependence on fossil fuels behind.

And as I have said many times, finance must be the bedrock to scale-up climate action on all fronts.

A new text will be landed shortly, within the next, the next few minutes.  But the areas where options need to be negotiated have narrowed significantly.

We are now here to discuss two issues.

One – How high is our ambition on mitigation.

And two – Are we willing to back this transition with the proper means of support to deliver it.

Let me assure you – from our viewpoint at UN Climate Change – the highest levels of ambition are possible for both.

I repeat – the highest levels of ambition are possible on both.  But if we reduce on one, we reduce our ability to get either.

So that leaves us with the question: how do we get, from here, a meaningful deal?

First – clear the unnecessary tactical blockades out of the way.  And there have been many along this journey.

The Global Stocktake needs to help all countries get out of this mess. Any strategic landmines that blow it up for one, blow it up for all.

The world is watching, as are 4000 members of the global media, and thousands of observers here in Dubai. There is nowhere to hide.

Second – I urge negotiators to reject incrementalism.

Each back from the highest ambition will cost countless millions of lives, not in the next political or economic cycle, for future leaders to deal with, but right now, across every country.

Third – preserve and respect every Party’s seat at the table. Inclusion, representation, and transparency are key tenets of this process.

And fourth – in this final quarter, it’s all eyes on the prize. That means highest ambition outcomes must stay front and center.

The reality is the highest ambition outcomes are the only way for all governments to leave Dubai with a win under their belt.

One thing is for certain: ‘I win – you lose’ is a recipe for collective failure.  Ultimately it is 8 billion people’s security that is at stake.

Science is the backbone of the Paris Agreement, especially when it comes to the world’s temperature goals and the planetary limit of 1.5. That center must hold.