Climate – France welcomes a significant step forward at COP28 (13 december 2023)

The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), held in Dubai under the Emirati presidency, brought together world leaders, government representatives, local authorities and non-State actors with nearly 90,000 participants for two weeks of negotiations, from 30 November to 13 December. It was a decisive step, eight years after COP21 and the historic adoption of the Paris climat agreement, and at a time when the climate emergency demands that we speed up our collective ambition during this critical decade.

France welcomes the consensus achieved on the necessary move away from fossil fuels, a significant step forward towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and thus meeting the target set by the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. The tripling of renewable energy and the recognition of nuclear energy’s key role are a step in that direction. Lastly, the agreement on the first day of COP28 to implement the “loss and damage” fund – to which France will contribute up to €100 million – testifies to the international community’s active efforts alongside the most vulnerable countries.

During his visit to the High-level Segment on 1 and 2 December, President Macron reaffirmed France’s determination to plan the end of fossil fuels, move away from coal before 2030 and help those countries most affected by climate change and its consequences. The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mme Catherine Colonna, and the interministerial climate team for France, led by the ambassador for climate negotiations, M. Stéphane Crouzat, promoted these goals.

The acceleration of climate change and the increased damage it causes to the most vulnerable call for a strong, swift and determined reaction by the international community. It is this imperative which guides the principles of the Paris Pact for People and the Planet, a road map for reforming the international financial system proposed in June 2023 by President Macron and now endorsed by over 40 States.

In this context, and as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Mme Catherine Colonna stated, the Dubai Consensus sends a message of hope for the planet and for the most vulnerable. France and the European Union will work with determination to implement it.