Kenyan NGO president: COP is where world comes together to agree on ways to address climate crisis

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP) is an important international area where the world comes together to agree on ways to address the climate crisis, Eliud Emeri, president of the Kenyan environmental NGO Consortium of Grassroots, told Report.

"During this conference, the states review the implementation of the conventional recommendations. They also audit or interrogate legal framework or instruments that are being adopted and actions that are necessary to promote effects of implementation of those conventions, including institutional administrative framework, all geared towards addressing the effects of climate change, which focuses on adaptation and mitigated measures based on research that is being done that has also been proven workable," he said.

He said the importance of COP and climate change has three key focus areas.

"One is to see how to limit the global temperatures rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Second is how financing of vulnerable communities initiatives to adapt the effects of climate change. And last but not least, realization of the net zero emissions by 2050," Emeri said.

He noted that despite numerous conradictions within the member-states, the recent conference in Dubai also had a positive moment.

"Nearly every country in the world agreed to transition away from fossil fuels as the main driver of climate change and it's the first time such an agreement has been reached in the last 28 years of international climate negotiation and during that COP 28," he said.

Emeri noted that the decision was adopted by consensus by all parties, including India.

"And since the adoption of the decision, an amount of $700 million was agreed and pledged by several countries and Kenya. My country is one of the beneficiaries among other 23 states that were identified in Africa," he said.