Delivering his speech in the Emirati city of Dubai, Andrzej Duda said that the human dimension "gives meaning to the climate change response" and so people and their needs "have to be at the forefront of energy and emission transformation."
The president called for a "just" energy transition that does not "undermine quality of life," Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Andrzej Duda speaks in Dubai on Friday. Photo: KPRP/Jakub Szymczuk
He highlighted the expansion of solar and wind energy in Poland "in line with global climate goals."
Duda said that countering climate change should involve not only a transition "from fossil fuels to efficient low–carbon sources of energy," but also nature conservation, as "biodiversity plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change."
The Polish president declined to pose for a family photo of the 198 national leaders attending COP 28, due to the presence of Alexander Lukashenko, the strongman leader of Belarus, news outlets reported.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Latvia's Edgars Rinkēvičs also refused to appear in the photograph alongside Lukashenko, according to Polish media.
Poland and the Baltic states have condemned Belarus' support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and also said that the Belarusian regime is cracking down on political opposition and deliberately channelling illegal migrants over their borders "to destabilise the region," public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency noted.
The leaders of the 198 nations gathered in Dubai are expected to discuss ways to tackle global warming on Friday and Saturday before diplomats take over to thrash out the COP 28 summit's final agreement, the IAR news agency reported.
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) runs until December 12.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, prezydent.pl