TRANSCRIPT:
Countries at the United Nations climate talks have been wrangling over deadlines for lowering their CO2 emissions.
For COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, time is of the essence.
"Am I satisfied with the speed and the pace? The answer is no, actually. ... Time is ticking, the clock is ticking. And I am sure you can all hear it just like how I am able to hear it. ... "Now the time has come for all parties to constructively engage and to come to me with that language. I want everyone to show flexibility, to act with urgency, and to find the common ground we as COP28 presidency have asked for."
The central question of the talks is what to do about the fossil fuels that are causing climate change.
Tuvalu is a Pacific nation comprised of nine atolls.
It is among the countries most susceptible to the consequences of climate change.
Simon Kofe is a member of parliament of Tuvalu, and the Minister of Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs.
He says that with an average elevation of merely two metres [[above sea level]], and a land area of merely 26 square kilometres, Tuvalu faces the imminent risk of submersion as sea levels rise.
"Imagine standing on the last patch of land you can call home, only to watch it disappear beneath your feet. This is not a distant nightmare; it is the impending reality for my people in Tuvalu. At the relentless pace of sea-level rise, Tuvalu is predicted to be engulfed by the ocean within decades. But it's not just the land we stand to lose; it's our identity, our nationhood."
He has told SBS News the OPEC lobby's efforts are counterproductive.
"It makes me angry, frustrated, disappointed that there are people that are actually working against what we feel is the cause that would save humanity in the future. So I guess we will wait to see the outcome of this meeting and it's not over yet. So hopefully we get some positives out of this the outcome of this meeting in Dubai."
Australia is a large exporter of fossil fuels.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, committed at COP28 to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency, and increased climate finance for Pacific Island nations.
He has also urged other countries to end "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies, arguing this would significantly contribute to reducing global emissions.
Mr Kofe says he is grateful for Australia's commitment.
"That's welcoming news for us to hear Australia making that commitment. As you said, Australia is one of the biggest exporters of fossil fuels. So it means a lot when it's coming from Australia that they were serious about facing out the only use of fossil fuels and it's very pleasing for us as well to have Australia we always look to Australia as a as a bigger brother. And it's always good to have them in our corner, especially in the sorts of forum. So that's very welcoming news for us."
But some activists, experts, and many developing nations have criticised major energy companies and oil-rich nations, like Saudi Arabia and Russia, for supporting a slower "phase down" approach for fossil fuels.
Democratic Senator Ed Markey, part of a seven-member team of U-S senators visiting the talks, is concerned that some parties are attempting to downplay the crisis fossil fuels have caused.
"Young people of the world should be very afraid that OPEC and global oil and gas companies are working to water down this report. OPEC and the oil companies right now are trying to whitewash the crisis that has been created by fossil fuels. And U.S. companies are part of this as well."
Despite pledges at COP28 to triple renewables and cut methane emissions, analysis by the International Energy Agency [[IEA]] has found that these commitments fall far short of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The I-E-A's analysis has found current plans will only reduce global carbon pollution by 30 per cent of the required amount by 2030.
Jennifer Morgan is a German climate negotiator who has been in talks with the Saudi and Iraqi delegations.
She says hope remains for a global climate agreement.
"I think they realise that we're serious, that the science is serious. And that other countries are serious. The European Union is tremendously serious about this. And therefore, they obviously felt they needed to engage whether it was a bit of panic, whether it was a bit of realisation of how far the discussions are."
Wopke Hoekstra is the EU's climate commissioner.
He is calling for unity to prevent planetary boiling.
"If we put more stuff into the air, the planet will boil. And that is what we are here to prevent. And therefore we can have a compromise and we should have a compromise on how we are going to do that and how are we going to divide the measurements. We cannot argue with the 1.5. We cannot argue with the need to phase out fossil ASAP."
