first global stocktake at COP28 will highlight a need for more action

The first global stocktake on the implementation of the Paris Agreeement will be a highlight of COP28 (United Nations climate conference), argues Xu Huaqing 徐华清 NCSC (National Centre for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation) director.

The Paris Agreement established a new model of bottom-up NDCs (nationally determined contributions) with a global stocktake mechanism to regularly evaluate the collective progress. The hope is that all parties will be encouraged to continuously improve their NDCs. 

Xu contends that all parties generally recognise the comprehensiveness, integrity and promotion of this process, and understand the importance of success for first round. The focus is the overall global progress, not national progress, he stresses. Agreed ahead of COP28, a 10-point PRC–US common position on the stocktake seriously commits the two critical players to the model, Xu adds.

The result of the stocktake will highlight the lack of global climate action and support, and increasing emissions reductions will remain a focus of negotiations, he says. It is generally belived that there has been limited progress, with global emissions still rising and funding promised by developed countries held back. 

All countries must do more. Europe, the US and small island states are notably pushing for more quantitative targets, such as peaking global greenhouse gas emissions before 2025, and reducing them by 43 percent by 2030 through a global inventory, as well as requiring all parties to commit to higher ambitions in their NDCs by 2030, according to Xu.