Dubai, 30 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) — The UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, kicks off in Dubai on Thursday as world leaders descend on the Gulf nation for two weeks of climate talks.

Representatives from some 200 states meeting in the Gulf Emirate will discuss how to contain the climate crisis.

Around 70,000 participants are expected, making the meeting the largest climate conference ever.

Participants are due to take stock of the implementation of the 2015 Paris Climate Accords for the first time.

These called for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees in order to avoid exceeding dangerous tipping points with irreversible consequences and avert the most catastrophic consequences of climate change.

The biggest point of contention at COP28 is whether an exit from coal, oil and gas can ultimately be unanimously agreed upon.

Most countries are lagging behind in the fight against the impending climate catastrophe.

The 1.5-degree goal agreed in Paris cannot be achieved with the current climate protection plans.

According to a new UN report, the world is heading towards an increase of up to 2.9 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.

The latest data indicates that the world has already heated up by around 1.1 degrees.

Climate activists and non-governmental organizations fear they are being heavily monitored in the UAE.

Demonstrations are only permitted on the conference grounds which are on the outskirts of the city.

The UN climate conference is led by Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, also head of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Many environmentalists recently denounced this as an irreconcilable conflict of interest and some called for his replacement as COP28 president.