meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Cop28 boosts coastal community climate role

12 December 2023

Of the $83.9bn in funding commitments made during the first 11 days of the Cop28 UN climate summit, $467m has been allocated to local climate action, in addition to $134m for adaptation, $129m for least-developed countries and $30bn for climate finance.  

The Loss and Damage Fund has also attracted commitments of over $720m, with more expected to come.

These financial commitments will benefit local communities globally that have been taking the brunt of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.

"The Cop28 summit in Dubai has recognised that the success of nearly all agreed climate measures and funding will depend on local and sub-national government implementation," says Alfredo Coro II, mayor of Del Carmen municipality in the Philippines' southern Siargao Islands.

Coro attended the Local Climate Action Summit, which was organised as part of the Cop28 conference.

"We recognise [former New York City mayor] Michael Bloomberg's role in pushing for mayors to be at the forefront of discussions on climate change actions, policies and funding," Coro tells MEED.

"We hope our network… will be able to attract global organisations to listen and respect the innovations of small coastal communities to address climate change impact on oceans and support sustainable fishing, as well as coastal management."  

Coro also represents the Costal500, an alliance of mayors and other local government leaders from countries including Brazil, the Federated State of Micronesia, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mozambique, Palau and the Philippines.

The Coastal500 alliance aims to serve as a platform for scaling climate adaptation and climate solutions in small local communities around the world.

"The local governments implement the climate action and they also absorb all the loss and damages," says Coro. "Recognising local governments in Cop28 will … play a major role in the discussions of operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund, from global finances to national government funds."

A total of 200 countries agreed to set up the Loss and Damage Fund at Cop27 last year, nearly 30 years since it was first discussed at a Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop).

Cop28 announced operationalising the fund on 30 November, with the UAE and Germany each pledging $100m towards the fund; the UK pledging $75m; and the US, which has previously pushed back on the fund, planning to contribute $17.5m.

France and Italy each pledged $108m, Denmark pledged $50m, Norway committed $25m, and Japan and China each pledged $10m. 

According to Coro, the Coastal500 members have already proven case studies that, when replicated, will be able to help mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change on a family and community level.

He cites as an example an integrated climate adaptation and mitigation strategy in his municipality. "We rehabilitated our mangrove ecosystem and conducted investments to prepare our communities and local government," he explains.

These helped to minimise the loss of life when super typhoon Rai made landfall in the Siargao Islands in December 2021. However, the typhoon heavily damaged the islands' Climate Field School, which was funded by a climate adaptation fund in the Philippines.

"We hope that localising the policies and practices will give local governments the courage to demand the needed access to financing potential loss and damages that have direct consequences to their respective constituency and community," Coro says.

Drop in the ocean

The final mechanisms for the Loss and Damage Fund have yet to be finalised. It remains unclear whether the funds will be disbursed as loans or grants.

Unlike climate mitigation and adaptation projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions and improve community responses to extreme weather events, the Loss and Damage Fund intends to help communities that have already suffered losses such as flood-damaged bridges or dams and agricultural crop revenues.

Rich, carbon-emitting countries are the expected main sources of the fund, although China, the world's top carbon emitter, which is a developing country, could technically qualify both as a source and recipient of the fund.

While operationalisng the fund has been considered a breakthrough, some critics have said that the pledges so far amount to only 0.2 per cent of what is needed to address the problem.

"The millions promised for the Loss and Damage Fund at Cop28 are a drop in the ocean of what is needed," notes Lien Vandamme, a senior campaigner at the Centre for International Environmental Law.

“Hundreds of billions of public, grants-based, new and additional money is needed, and we cannot call this Loss and Damage Fund a success as long as this is lacking,” she added.

Mena extreme weather

Several countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region have recently suffered major calamities that can be directly linked to climate change. 

Thousands of people were feared to have drowned when a storm swept through Derna in eastern Libya on 11 September. Heavy rains from Storm Daniel caused a water dam about 12 kilometres from Derna to fail, sending water down a valley and overwhelming a second dam closer to the city.

The storm was called a Medicane – a portmanteau for Mediterranean and hurricane – which experts said drew enormous energy from extremely warm seawater. A warmer atmosphere is also understood to hold more water vapour that can fall as rain.

Photo: Pixabay

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11363941/main.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Gulf LNG sector enters a new prolific phase

    24 October 2025

     

    Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been produced in the GCC since the 1970s. However, it is only since the start of this decade that regional producers have begun committing tens of billions of dollars to significantly ramp up output, driven by soaring global demand for the super-chilled fuel.

    The GCC is projected to add at least 80 million tonnes a year (t/y) of LNG capacity by 2030, placing it firmly among the world’s top three producing regions. 

    Qatar leads the Gulf’s push for LNG dominance as the region’s largest – and one of its earliest – LNG producers.

    State enterprise QatarEnergy has been producing LNG from the giant North Field offshore gas reserve in the Gulf waters, which it shares with Iran, since the 1980s. QatarEnergy currently produces 77.5 million t/y of LNG from 15 processing trains, all located in a sprawling complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City.

    Top spot

    QatarEnergy is on course to nearly double its LNG production to 142 million t/y by the end of the decade through its $40bn North Field LNG expansion programme.

    The energy giant is understood to have spent nearly $30bn on the first two phases of its North Field expansion – North Field East and North Field South – which will raise LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on both projects are progressing.

    QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for the North Field East project in 2021. The project aims to boost LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda Corporation and France’s Technip Energies.

    In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for the North Field South project to a consortium of Technip Energies and Lebanon-based Consolidated Contractors Company. 

    The contract includes two large LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.

    Once fully operational, the first two phases of the North Field expansion will add 48 million t/y of supply to the global LNG market.

    In February 2024, QatarEnergy announced the third phase of its North Field expansion – North Field West. The project will add 16 million t/y of LNG capacity through two processing trains of 8 million t/y each, following the model of earlier phases. It will source feedstock from the western zone of the offshore North Field reserve.

    Progress on the North Field West project has, however, been slow, and it has remained in the pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-feed) phase since its announcement.

    QatarEnergy is reportedly exploring options to fast-track it to the EPC stage.

    The first two phases of the North Field expansion will add 48 million t/y to the global LNG market

    Oman progress

    Oman has recently made significant progress in the global race to expand LNG production and exports. The Omani government made headlines in July last year, when it announced that majority state-owned Oman LNG would build a fourth train at its Qalhat LNG production complex in Sur.

    The new LNG train will have an output capacity of 3.8 million t/y, increasing Oman LNG’s total production capacity to 15.2 million t/y when it is commissioned in 2029.

    Oman LNG recently made key progress on its project to add a fourth processing train at the Sur LNG complex. The majority state-owned company has shortlisted a consortium of Chiyoda and South Korea’s Samsung C&T, Japanese contractor JGC Corporation and another consortium of Italian contractor Saipem and South Korea-based Daewoo Engineering & Construction to participate in the main tender for EPC works.

    Technical and commercial bids are due in February and March 2026, respectively.

    The EPC tender process began less than a year after Oman LNG awarded the feed contract to US-based consultancy KBR.

    Separately, France’s TotalEnergies is studying a potential expansion of its Marsa LNG bunkering and export terminal in Oman. The move is significant considering that the first phase of the project is currently under construction in the sultanate’s northern industrial city of Sohar, and will have an output capacity of 1 million t/y.

    TotalEnergies purportedly began an initial study on a potential second phase of the Marsa LNG facility earlier this year. The French energy major may consider doubling the output capacity of the LNG complex, although the plan is yet to be confirmed, according to sources.

    Earlier in the year, TotalEnergies appointed Technip Energies – already the main EPC contractor on the under- construction Marsa LNG terminal – as a consultant to perform concept and feasibility studies on the proposed second expansion phase.

    With Oman LNG advancing its fourth train and TotalEnergies mulling a potential doubling of LNG production in Oman, the sultanate is positioning itself as a key global LNG player by 2030.

    UAE plans

    Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has historically been one of the GCC’s smaller LNG producers. Its subsidiary, Adnoc Gas, operates three large gas processing trains on Das Island. 

    The Das Island terminal has a liquefaction and export capacity of about 6 million t/y. The first two trains, commissioned in the 1970s, provide a combined 2.9 million t/y, while the third, added in the mid-1990s, contributes 3.2 million t/y.

    Adnoc Gas will significantly expand its LNG capacity with a new greenfield terminal in Ruwais, set to come online in 2028.  The terminal will add 9.6 million t/y of LNG capacity via two 4.8 million t/y trains.

    Adnoc awarded the $5.5bn EPC contract in June 2024 to a consortium of Technip Energies, JGC Corporation, and NMDC Energy, coinciding with its final investment decision.

    Along with the main processing trains, the Ruwais LNG complex will also feature process units, storage tanks and an export jetty for loading cargoes and LNG bunkering, as well as utilities, flare handling systems and associated buildings. The facility will ship LNG mainly to key Asian markets, such as Pakistan, India, China, South Korea and Japan. 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14933998/main.gif
    Indrajit Sen
  • NHC signs Al-Fursan project deal with South Korean firm

    24 October 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction to build a residential project in NHC’s Al‑Fursan suburb of Riyadh.

    The MoU was signed in Seoul earlier this week by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majed Al‑Hogail, and NHC’s CEO, Mohammed Al‑Buty.

    In an official statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, NHC said: “The MoU extends the growing Saudi-Korean partnerships, strengthened by the signing of another MoU in November 2024 to develop the Balady Platform and implement digital twins and smart city applications, contributing to urban planning development and improved quality of life.”

    This is the second major project agreement NHC has signed for residential development within the Al‑Fursan district.

    In March last year, NHC and Egyptian real estate developer Talaat Moustafa Group signed an agreement to develop more than 27,000 residential units at NHC’s Banan City project in the Al‑Fursan suburb.

    The project will cover an area of 10 million square metres and include hospitals, schools, retail, sports facilities and other public amenities.

    In 2023, NHC and Saudi Arabia’s Housing Ministry signed investment agreements totalling more than SR24bn ($6.4bn) to launch the Al-Fursan residential project.

    Al‑Fursan is described as the largest scheme in terms of area and number of housing units that NHC is implementing in partnership with other real estate developers. 

    For the district’s first phase, 18 real estate development agreements were signed with companies including Retal Urban Development Company and Sumou Real Estate Company.

    NHC also signed four consultancy contracts to manage projects and supervise implementation of phase one and the deployment of comprehensive infrastructure works.

    Other deals involved the development of facilities, including commercial and recreational areas, hospitals, health and sports centres, mosques and schools.

    MEED reported in 2020 that Riyadh planned to oversee the development of more than 1 million homes by 2025 to meet growing demand in the kingdom.

    By 2030, the Saudi capital aims to more than double its population, from 7-8 million to 15-20 million, and become one of the 10 wealthiest cities in the world.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14934006/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • October 2025: Data drives regional projects

    24 October 2025

    Click here to download the PDF

    Includes: Commodity tracker | Construction risk | Brent Spot Price | Construction output

    MEED’s November 2025 report on the UAE includes:

    > COMMENT: Investment shapes UAE growth story
    > GOVERNMENT: Public spending ties the UAE closer together
    > ECONOMY: UAE growth expansion beats expectations
    > BANKING: Stability is the watchword for UAE lenders
    > OIL & GAS: Adnoc strives to build long-term upstream potential
    > PETROCHEMICALS: Taziz fulfils Abu Dhabi’s chemical ambitions at pace
    > POWER: UAE power sector hits record $8.9bn in contracts
    > WATER: Tunnel projects set pace for UAE water sector
    > CONSTRUCTION: UAE construction faces delivery pressures
    > TRANSPORT: $70bn infrastructure schemes underpin UAE economic expansion

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14933968/main.gif
    MEED Editorial
  • Oman tenders industrial city infrastructure contracts

    24 October 2025

     

    Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has issued two tenders for infrastructure development works at Al‑Suwaiq Industrial City in Al‑Batinah North Governorate and Madha Industrial City in Musandam Governorate.

    Madayn issued a tender on 21 October inviting companies to bid for a contract to develop the first phase of the infrastructure and utilities network at Al‑Suwaiq Industrial City.

    The scope covers construction of a building, greenhouses, roads, water network, electricity and sewage networks, and other associated facilities.

    The bid submission deadline is 30 November.

    The tender for construction of infrastructure works at Madha Industrial City was also issued on 21 October, with a submission deadline of 30 November. 

    In December 2023, Madayn inaugurated two projects at Al-Mazunah Free Zone valued at RO9.5m ($25m), including a facility building project and phase one package two and phases two and three at Al-Mazunah Free Zone.

    Madayn, OQ Refineries & Petrochemical Industries and the Industrial Innovation Academy signed an agreement in June 2022 to set up Ladayn Polymer Park in Sohar.

    At that time, Madayn also signed seven land‑usufruct agreements with an extendable duration of 33 years at reduced prices with the investors.

    According to a report from UK-based data analytics provider GlobalData, the output of the Omani construction industry is expected to register annual growth of 4.2% from 2025 to 2027, supported by investments in economic zones, renewable energy, manufacturing and tourism projects under Vision 2040.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14933905/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Petrofac submits lowest bid of $1.48bn for Kuwait oil project

    24 October 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    UK‑based Petrofac has submitted the lowest bid for a contract to install Water Injection Plant 4 (WIP‑4) in south Kuwait.

    Petrofac submitted a bid of KD453,736,367 ($1.48bn), which is 7% lower than the KD488,378,247 ($1.59bn) submitted by India’s Larsen & Toubro, the only other company to bid for the project.

    The project’s bid deadline was postponed at least 14 times before prices were ultimately submitted.

    The main contract tender was originally issued by Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) on 11 August 2024, with a bid submission deadline of 10 November 2024.

    The project includes:

    • Construction of a water injection plant called WIP-4
    • Installation of safety and security systems
    • Laying of pipelines
    • Installation of oil gathering systems
    • Installation of the new well pads
    • Construction of associated facilities

    When it was first tendered in August last year, nine companies were qualified to bid. They were:

    • Samsung Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Sinopec Luoyand Engineering Company (China)
    • Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (South Korea)
    • Sinopec Engineering Incorporation (China)
    • Larsen & Toubro (India)
    • Petrofac International (UK)
    • Saipem (Italy)
    • Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)

    Kuwait is currently trying to boost project activity in its upstream sector.

    The country’s national oil company, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), is aiming to increase oil production capacity to 4 million barrels a day by 2035.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14933876/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp