DUBAI: Global leaders have stressed the need to actively identify climate challenge priorities and establishing goals on the second day of COP28 in Dubai. During the High-Level Segment National Statements, France’s President Emmanuel Macron underscored the urgency of phasing out fossil fuels as the world’s top priority. “Emerging countries must phase out carbon, which is our biggest fight. If there’s a top priority, it’s for emerging countries to phase out carbon,” he stated. Macron also emphasized the need to reduce oil usage and emissions in significant sectors like maritime and aviation. “France has developed a strategy to phase out fossil fuels and reduce emissions. Europe is fully committed to this strategy. By 2035, a high percentage of cars produced in France and Europe will operate without oil. We are also building a housing strategy to massively reduce maritime and air emissions,” Macron explained. Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed his country’s modest contribution to global climate challenges and its firm strategy for supporting the global cause. “Our historical responsibility for global greenhouse emissions is less than 1 percent, yet we’re taking significant steps on our own,” Erdogan noted. “We aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2053 and have doubled our emission reduction target for 2030. We expect to have mitigated 66.6 million tons of equivalent carbon dioxide by the end of this year,” he added. “The share of renewables in our power generation capacity has increased to 55 percent. With this rate, Turkiye ranks fifth in Europe and twelfth in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity,” Erdogan stated. Santiago Palacios, president of Paraguay, highlighted his country’s success in climate change, noting that they now generate 100 percent clean energy. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev affirmed his country’s commitment to the global climate agenda, especially in the supply chain sector. “As a major exporter of uranium, providing 43 percent of the global supply, Kazakhstan plays a crucial role in carbon-free electricity generation worldwide,” Tokayev said. “As the world moves towards decarbonization, critical minerals including rare earth metals will become indispensable. Kazakhstan is poised to become a significant supplier of these transition minerals,” he concluded.