The annual global climate talks are taking place in Dubai on Thursday amid a backdrop of fracturing global unity and concerns about the influence of the fossil fuel industry, as countries face a narrowing window to steer the planet away from its disastrous path. The stakes are high at the UN Climate Change Conference, known this year as COP28 — and so is controversy, as the host is the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. Nations kicked off the two-week proceedings with an immediate success, approving a plan for a fund that would provide money to vulnerable countries most affected by climate change. But it remains to be seen whether richer countries, which do not have a mandate to contribute, will come up with the amounts that would make the fund meaningful. (The Washington Post)