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SUMMARY of the Article “Weasel words,” by Mahir Ali, Dawn [Published on December 20th, 2023]

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The COP28 summit in Dubai, a culmination of 28 years of UN-sponsored climate conferences, has been hailed as a landmark for finally acknowledging fossil fuels as the primary cause of global warming. Despite decades of reports pointing out their role, they were concealed, leading to greenwashing practices. The recent focus on transitioning away from coal, oil, and gas has been critiqued for its vagueness and the presence of loopholes. The article suggests that meaningful investments in solar and wind energy in the 1980s-90s could have altered Earth’s fate. However, COPs, influenced by reluctance and the need for consensus, failed to address the root cause. COP28 was seen as a slight improvement, yet specific actions to surpass fossil fuels as the primary energy source were lacking. The article criticizes the “UAE consensus” for its ineffectiveness, allowing major polluters to continue without constraint. The choice of a petrostate as the next host raises doubts about the conferences’ utility. Allegations about COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber’s interests in oil deals and doubts about fossil fuels being the main hurdle further taint the summit’s credibility. The article contends that future conferences may serve little purpose, given the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists and the absence of enforceable mechanisms. It questions the effectiveness of the UN climate conference process, emphasizing that capitalist interests may impede practical solutions, potentially leading to irreversible consequences.

Easy/Short SUMMARY:

The COP28 summit in Dubai, after 28 years of UN climate conferences, acknowledged fossil fuels as the main cause of global warming. However, the focus on transitioning away from them lacks specificity, and COP28 is criticized for ineffectiveness. Doubts about the host’s intentions and the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists raise concerns about the conferences’ utility. The article questions the UN climate conference process, suggesting capitalist interests may hinder practical solutions, risking irreversible consequences.

SOLUTIONS of The Problem:

1. Explicit Transition Plan:

• Develop a comprehensive and explicit plan for transitioning away from fossil fuels, leaving no room for loopholes.

2. Global Consensus on Fossil Fuel Phase-Out:

• Establish a global consensus on the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels as the primary source of energy.

3. Enforceable Mechanisms:

• Create enforceable mechanisms to ensure that nations adhere to agreed-upon commitments, with consequences for non-compliance.

4. Transparent Decision-Making:

• Advocate for transparency in decision-making during climate conferences, avoiding vague agreements that lack specific actions.

5. Reduce Lobbyist Influence:

• Implement measures to reduce the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists in climate conferences, ensuring decisions prioritize the planet’s well-being.

6. Diversify Energy Investments:

• Encourage meaningful investments in alternative energy sources like solar and wind, with a focus on diversifying the energy portfolio.

7. Accountability for Host Nations:

• Hold host nations accountable for their commitments, ensuring that they align with the goals of combating climate change rather than serving vested interests.

8. Public Awareness Campaigns:

• Launch public awareness campaigns to educate people about the urgency of transitioning away from fossil fuels and the potential consequences of inaction.

9. Regular Progress Assessments:

• Establish a system for regular assessments of nations’ progress in reducing reliance on fossil fuels, fostering accountability.

10. Scientific Advisory Panel:

• Form a scientific advisory panel to guide climate conferences, ensuring decisions align with the best available scientific knowledge.

IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article:

• Duration of UN-Sponsored Climate Conferences: 28 years
• Primary Cause of Global Warming: Fossil fuels
• Reports on Fossil Fuel Impact: Since the 1950s
• Loopholes in ‘Transition Away’ Wish: Criticized for lacking specificity
• COP28 Host: Dubai (UAE)
• COP28 President: Sultan al-Jaber, Head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
• Concerns about COP28 President: Alleged interest in negotiating oil deals and doubts about fossil fuels as the main hurdle
• Number of Fossil Fuel Lobbyists at COP28: 2,400
• Concerns about Future COPs: Doubts about their utility and effectiveness in achieving practical solutions

MCQs from the Article:

1. What did COP28 acknowledge regarding the primary cause of global warming?
   A. Deforestation
   B. Fossil Fuels
   C. Industrial Emissions
   D. Natural Disasters

2. Why is COP28 criticized in the article?
   A. Lack of Attendance
   B. Lack of Specificity in Transition Plans
   C. Excessive Enforcement Mechanisms
   D. Host Nation’s Political Influence

3. Who is the President of COP28 and what raised concerns about their role?
   A. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar – Doubts about fossil fuels
   B. Sultan al-Jaber – Alleged interest in oil deals and doubts about fossil fuels
   C. António Guterres – Lack of transparency
   D. UN Secretary General – Presence of fossil fuel lobbyists

4. What is a major criticism regarding the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP28?
   A. Insufficient Representation
   B. Exponential Increase in Numbers
   C. Lack of Interest in Climate Issues
   D. Host Nation’s Bias

5. What does the article suggest about the future effectiveness of UN climate conferences?
   A. Increased Transparency
   B. Enhanced Enforcement Mechanisms
   C. Doubts about Their Usefulness
   D. Global Consensus on Practical Solutions

VOCABULARY:

1. Weasel words (noun) (فرار الفعل): Words or statements that are intentionally vague or ambiguous, often used to evade or mislead.
2. Greenwashing (noun) (ہری چھاؤں دھونے): Disinformation disseminated by an organization to present an environmentally responsible public image.
3. Consensus (noun) (اجتماعی راے): General agreement among a group; collective opinion or judgment.
4. Farce (noun) (تماشا): A situation or event that is absurd or disorganized, often with exaggerated or ridiculous elements.
5. Transition (verb) (تبدیلی): The process or period of changing from one state or condition to another.
6. Injunction (noun) (حکم عدم تداخل): An authoritative warning or order; a judicial order that restrains a person from beginning or continuing an action.
7. Petroleum Petrostate (noun) (پٹرولیم پٹروسٹیٹ): A state that relies heavily on revenue from petroleum or oil exports.
8. Allegation (noun) (الزام): A claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically without proof.
9. Taint (verb) (میلا لگانا): Contaminate or pollute; affect with a bad or undesirable quality.
10. Enforcement Mechanism (noun) (نافذ یا عملے کار کرنے والا آلہ): A system or method for ensuring compliance with rules or laws.

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dawn.com
Weasel words
Mahir Ali

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IT took 28 years of UN-sponsored climate conferences for one of them to even acknowledge the primary source of the planet’s woes. That was enough for the circus that concluded in Dubai a week ago to be hailed as a landmark.

It has been patently obvious for decades that fossil fuels are the chief culprits in global warming. Reports prepared for some of the biggest offenders pointed this out as far back as the 1950s. They were covered up, obviously. And varieties of greenwashing have been the norm since the world woke up to the challenge 30 years later.

Much attention has been focused lately on the Swiss cheese of loopholes that accompany the bland wish to ‘transition away’ from coal, oil and gas as the sources of most of the globe’s energy. This kind of wishful thinking might have meant something if the turning point had been recognised three decades ago, and efforts laun­ched to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Meaningful investments in solar and wind energy, if launched as recently as the 1980s-90s, could have made a huge difference to Earth’s fate. It was not to be. The COPs since then have been reluctant to spell out the source of the world’s woes, partly courtesy of the Saudi injunction that any initiative required consensus.

COP28 was deemed a step forward in calling out fossil fuels, but precious little was specified in terms of transcending them as the primary source of energy. The requisite sound and fury were absent from the ‘UAE consensus’, which effectively signifies nothing. The worst polluters can step up their activities without violating the meaningless Dubai injunction.

COP28 was just another milestone on the highway to hell.

That was apparently the intention. The choice of the Emirati petrostate as the next conference host at the conclusion of COP27 in Egypt occasioned plenty of dark humour even before the UAE picked Sultan al-Jaber, the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company as its president. The UAE hired leading PR agencies to transform the narrative.

It was only partially successful, particularly once it was alleged that al-Jaber was keen on using COP28 as a platform for negotiating lucrative oil deals. And that he doubted the science behind decreeing fossil fuels as the chief hurdle to achieving net zero emissions. He pushed back against those media reports, acknowledging that the phase-out of fossil fuels was essential to cooling the Earth. But after the conference concluded, he returned to his job at the helm of the oil company, which reportedly intends to fire up its production levels in the years to come.

Another petrostate will host the next COP, and doubts about whether these conferences serve any useful purpose have steadily been mounting. More than 2,400 fossil fuel lobbyists were accredited to the farce in Dubai, an exponentially higher figure than their numbers in Glasgow and Sharm el-Sheikh. The numbers in Baku may be even higher. They needn’t worry too much, though — the biggest polluters will make sure that next to nothing is agreed that just might salvage the planet. And even if by some miracle a consensus were to be achieved on phasing out fossil fuels, it would mean very little without an enforcement mechanism — which doesn’t exist. Sure, Saudi output, for instance, would be set back if all other nations stopped buying its oil. But, seriously, what are the chances?

After all, as George Monbiot points out, “more carbon dioxide from fossil fuels has been released worldwide” since 1992, when climate negotiations began, than in all of human history. He compares the oil and gas lobbyists’ presence in Dubai to “allowing weapons manufacturers to dominate a peace conference”. Mind you, one hardly hears of a peace conference these days, whereas they were ubiquitous between the end of World War II and the 1980s.

They didn’t achieve much, but nor have the climate conferences. Arguably, even the two exceptions of some consequence, Kyoto and Paris, have simply been ignored by those who didn’t particularly care for their injunctions. There is absolutely no reason to expect that the UN climate conference process will ever yield anything resembling a practical road map for edging away from the impending apocalypse.

We live in a capitalist world where profits will always matter far more than common sense, even if they pave the path to the end of the world — which appears to be precisely what is in store. What will today’s politicians and economists say to future generations? Sorry that in the hottest year on record we partied in Dubai, and did almost nothing to shift our planet’s orbit away from the path to Armageddon?

Part of the reason why the UN climate conferences are such a cruel farce is that they raise hopes that are then brutally dashed — shortly afterwards, if not there and then. That climate is unlikely to change.

[email protected]

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 202