The COP28 has ended with its historic outcomes, some of which have garnered widespread interest, while others have not received the same level of attention, despite representing significant gains in important sectors for humanity.

The first global evaluation of the Paris Agreement concluded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai last December with a historic final text at all levels.

The first global evaluation process, led by the United Nations, included a review of progress and areas of shortcomings in implementing the goals of the Paris Agreement, which came into effect in 2016.

Generally, the evaluation process aims to support climate action in the coming years, rally world leaders to raise their ambitions, and move forward in achieving the goals of the agreement.

The final text of the first global evaluation, for the first time in the history of the Conference of Parties, called for "moving away from fossil fuels in energy systems," a result that drew attention from everyone, from the media to experts and stakeholders.

Amidst the discourse around fossil fuels, renewable energy commitments, and COP policies, the global evaluation also highlighted many important gains that were overlooked by international media, groups, and organizations interested in the climate issue.

Forests and Nature

The final text of the first global evaluation of the Paris Agreement recognizes the urgent need to conserve and protect nature, ecosystems, and restore them. It emphasizes enhancing efforts to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

Furthermore, it underscores the importance of financially supported investments with policy incentives to promote forest conservation and sustainable management.

Including this priority in the results of the global evaluation is particularly crucial given the rapid degradation and deforestation's global impact.

Despite global commitments to protect forests, tropical regions lost 10% of primary rainforests in 2022 compared to 2021, as reported by the Global Forest Watch.

The total loss of ancient tropical forests in 2022 was around 4.1 million hectares, resulting in the emission of 2.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual fossil fuel emissions in India.

The final text highlights contributions that forest conservation and protection efforts can make towards achieving the temperature goal outlined in the Paris Agreement, to keep global warming well below two degrees Celsius.

Moreover, it emphasizes the shared benefits focused on humans in halting and reversing deforestation and degradation, including accelerating sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Transport

The transportation industry, including aviation, maritime shipping, and land transportation, requires a significant reduction in carbon emissions, as most transportation still relies on fossil fuels.

Overall, carbon dioxide emissions from transportation have increased by over 70% since 1990.

The industry now accounts for more than 20% of global fossil fuel-related carbon dioxide emissions, underscoring the need for emission-free transportation methods.

The global evaluation results emphasize the importance of decarbonizing the transportation sector by transitioning to electric vehicles, expanding infrastructure, and investing in clean fuels for maritime shipping and aviation sectors.

This transition requires a global effort to recognize the need for energy and resource efficiency in transportation and meet those demands. Cross-sector collaboration is also essential to implement policies and investments that will transform the land transportation industry.

To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the world needs to swiftly adopt emission-free transportation methods, as recognized by the first global evaluation results.

The text stresses the importance of supporting local governments in reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector, as well as increasing funding for research and development of clean fuels to promote green transformations in maritime shipping and aviation industries.

Methane

Often overlooked in global sustainability discussions, methane gas received attention at COP28 with a call to drastically reduce methane emissions, breaking the pattern.

Estimates by the International Energy Agency suggest that emissions in the energy sector are underreported by 70%, highlighting the need to address methane leaks and the lack of transparency regarding these emissions on a global scale.

In the United States, research conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund found that the oil and gas industry in the country emitted at least 13 million metric tons of methane annually, around 60% more than the Environmental Protection Agency's estimates at the time.

Hence, the importance of including methane gas in the global evaluation process, which called on countries in its final text to eliminate methane emissions.

This call supports the Global Methane Pledge announced at the Glasgow Conference in 2021, joined by over 130 countries aiming to reduce methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.

The global evaluation did not overlook methane emissions from the agricultural sector, which is the largest human source according to the International Energy Agency, emphasizing the need for sustainable land use management and agricultural practices to mitigate the environmental impacts of these activities, especially non-CO2 emissions like methane.

Food

The final text of the global evaluation prioritized food security in an unprecedented manner, recognizing the severity of its impact and vulnerability to climate change.

It emphasizes the fundamental priority of protecting food security, eliminating hunger, and addressing the particular vulnerabilities of food production systems against the adverse effects of climate change.

It encourages the implementation of integrated, multi-sectoral solutions such as land use management, sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and nature.