Dubai, UAE: A new draft called for the world to transition away from fossil fuels has been presented at the United Nations COP28 climate talks in Dubai.
However, despite the demands of many countries, civil society groups, and scientists, the latest deal, which was made public by COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, did not include an explicit commitment to phase out fossil fuels.
Rather, it urged countries to contribute to global efforts to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems “in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”.
Sultan Al Jaber released the draft after 36 hours of negotiations. Rich and poor countries fiercely opposed the initial proposal, and described it as “grossly insufficient,” “incoherent” and a “death certificate” for low-lying and vulnerable nations.
Mr. Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s Minister for Climate and the Environment, stated that, “It is the first time that the world unites around such a clear text on the need to transition away from fossil fuels. It has been the elephant in the room – at last, we address it head-on. This is the outcome of extremely many conversations and intense diplomacy.”
The new proposal noted that countries recognised “the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5C pathways.”
“This draft is a sorely needed improvement from the last version, which rightly caused outrage. The language on fossil fuels is much improved but still falls short of calling for the full phase-out of coal, oil, and gas,” commented Mr. Stephen Cornelius, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s deputy global climate and energy lead.
One of the world’s major oil producers, the UAE, has faced criticism for close ties with fossil fuel interests from the start.
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