The world is on fire, but we're too busy fighting one another

A wildfire in Greece last July. If rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions suggest that our house is on fire, then the foundations we have built it on are close to collapse. AFP

In the immediate aftermath of Cop28, I wrote in these pages that 2023 had been a dark year for diplomacy.

At the time, the rumbling of several geopolitical and humanitarian crises hung over the climate talks in Dubai. Two months into 2024, the skies of diplomacy look murkier than they did at the turn of the year, despite the UAE Consensus offering some light on the horizon.

As distressing headlines from the Middle East continue to dominate the news cycle, with deepening conflicts, the world’s multilateral institutions – the very entities designed to uphold international law – are creaking under pressure, exposing systemic inequities and inefficacies.

This decade was supposed to mark a turning point for inclusive and sustainable economic development for all. Instead, it is becoming a decade of humanitarian shortcomings. In our increasingly interconnected world, peace, stability and prosperity are inextricably linked to our ability to address the other existential threats we face – including climate change and energy security.

Our climate fight is a direct casualty of conflict. Indeed, conflicts complicate an already fractured global diplomatic landscape. They disrupt crucial but volatile markets, such as oil and gas. They tempt the world to secure their energy supplies from sources we must transition away from. They overshadow diplomacy efforts that require everyone’s buy-in – such as the ongoing climate talks. And they redirect vital expenditure away from climate solutions.

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  Displaced Palestinians hold a white flag as they pass an Israeli tank position while fleeing the Hamad Town district of Khan Younis. Bloomberg

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  A Palestinian woman cuts material to be used for sewing nappies at a workshop in Rafah. AFP

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  Smoke rises following an explosion in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. AP

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  Parachutes carrying relief for Palestinians drop from an Egyptian Air Force cargo plane over central Gaza. Bloomberg

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  A Palestinian boy who is suffering from malnutrition is treated at a healthcare centre amid widespread hunger. Reuters

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  Palestinian children attend an English class in the library of the school housing displaced people in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

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  An UNRWA-run school housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah. AFP

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  Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah. AP

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  A wounded Palestinian man who lost his wife and daughter walks past a neighbours' house destroyed by Israeli bombing in Rafah. AFP

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  An injured man is rescued from the rubble after an Israeli air strike on the Rafah camp in Gaza. EPA

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  Palestinians walk amid the rubble of houses destroyed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza city. AFP

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  Aid is dropped into Gaza from US military aircraft. Reuters

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  Palestinians gather at air lorries in Gaza. More than 100 were killed when Israeli troops opened fire. AP

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  The sun sets behind destroyed buildings in Gaza. AFP

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  A Palestinian man enters a heavily damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

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  A wounded Palestinian is assisted at the site of an Israeli strike in Deir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. Reuters

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  Palestinians gather in the hope of getting bags of flour carried by air lorries near an Israeli checkpoint in Gaza city, as the enclave's residents face crisis levels of hunger. Reuters

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  Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues in Gaza. Reuters

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  A displaced Palestinian child holds a crying baby in a camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

We need to invest north of $5 trillion globally, every year, into energy transition solutions to tackle climate change. And yet the cost of conflicts continues to spiral. Rising military expenditure and an increased focus on conflicts impede countries’ ability to invest in climate solutions. And that’s not to mention military emissions in conflict zones, which account for about 5.5 per cent of global emissions.

Rising military expenditure and an increased focus on conflicts impede countries’ ability to invest in climate solutions

If rising temperatures and intensifying extreme weather conditions suggest that our house is on fire, then the foundations we have built it on are close to collapse. Rebuilding them relies on an effective and collective push from the global community to put people above political interests.

In the UAE, our leaders are meeting this moment of fragility with a clear and concise path forward, towards prosperity, stability and sustainability. This is being done in a range of ways – by providing vital food and water supplies to those most in need, working on resolutions to end regional conflicts, and ensuring that political leaders lay the groundwork for peace so that climate action can follow.

Last December, the Cop28 Declaration on Climate Relief, Recovery and Peace represented a watershed moment in this regard. The declaration underscores the urgent need to create institutions that are more representative of global populations, emphasising the connection between climate resilience and global stability. It acknowledges that peace and recovery are not only outcomes of effective climate action but also prerequisites for its success. It espouses a much-needed humanitarian approach to climate action.

By prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable communities and countries, the declaration calls for an unprecedented level of international co-operation and solidarity, which is crucial for addressing the systemic inequities that have long hindered global climate action efforts.

Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber applauds after the UAE Consensus is reached in Dubai last December. The agreement offers some light on the horizon. AFP

More recently at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, the launch of the Cop Presidencies Troika, which includes the UAE, Azerbaijan and Brazil, marked a levelling-up for climate diplomacy. It sets the course for continuity in purpose and ambition from one Cop presidency to the next, laying the groundwork for a more cohesive and strategic global climate action framework.

By fostering a sense of shared responsibility and mutual support among successive Cop presidencies, the Troika agreement enables a more integrated and proactive approach to ensure that each Cop builds on the achievements of its predecessors to advance global climate goals.

As we carry the torch forward to Azerbaijan and then to Brazil, the path towards climate resilience requires a unified approach that transcends political and geographical boundaries. By aligning the efforts of successive Cop presidencies, we can create outcomes that benefit all, rather than a select few. This approach not only ensures that the ambitious goals set in Paris, and refined in subsequent Cops, are met, but also that they evolve to meet the changing needs of our planet and its inhabitants.

We cannot do this, however, if we do not have a bedrock of stability firmly in place. We must develop collaborative frameworks, such as the Troika, that recognise the fundamental interconnectedness of climate change, peace and recovery. We need structures and institutions that catalyse equitable and transformative change.

It is now down to our leaders to build bridges and the foundations for lasting and sustainable peace and prosperity. Without them, we cannot hope to meet the climate goals and ambitions we have set for ourselves in the near, medium or long-term future.