President Nataša Pirc Musar pledged Slovenia's €1.5 million contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund to help the world's most vulnerable countries hit by climate disaster as she addressed the UN Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai on 1 December. She said world leaders should only be waging one war - that against climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution.

The president drew attention to the catastrophic consequences of the wildfires and flooding in Slovenia over the past two summers to underline that the extreme and rapidly changing weather patterns all over the world should serve as a wake-up call that the time for mitigation is running out. She called for a more flexible approach to the issue in order to withstand "the new normal".

Turning to the UN climate goal to limit the global rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Pirc Musar said that an accord to phase out fossil fuels and provide fossil fuel subsidies was the first step towards achieving the goal, but it would not be attainable if natural gas and oil production kept increasing.

The phasing-out of fossil fuels must go hand in hand with tripling our renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency, she said, adding that in developing resilient and sustainable adaptation measures, the global community must pursue nature-based solutions as much as possible.

In light of the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December, she pointed out that a new set of human rights, such as the right to a clean and healthy environment, air and water, was emerging, driven by climate change and people's reckless attitude towards nature.

Pirc Musar believes that climate justice is imperative and that the green transition should include the most vulnerable groups of people, to which Slovenia is ready to pledge. In addition to contributing to the UN's Loss and Damage Fund, Slovenia will substantially increase its contribution to the Green Climate Fund.

Talking about armed conflicts worldwide, the president said they were an "often overlooked serious impediment to progress in reducing the climate crisis", which is detrimental not only to people but also to the environment and its ecosystems. She called for action rather than putting the responsibility on future generations.