DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) – The latest draft of a potential climate deal emerging from the COP28 summit on Monday offers various measures for countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions but conspicuously avoids the explicit “phase out” of fossil fuels, a demand echoed by several nations. This omission has drawn criticism from the U.S., EU, and climate-vulnerable countries.
Participants in the United Nations climate summit in Dubai have endorsed a newly proposed agreement, unveiled early on Wednesday (Dec 13), calling for a “transition away” from fossil fuels. However, the agreement falls shy of endorsing a full “
phase out.” This marks the first instance in the almost three-decade history of UN climate summits where nations have agreed to transition away from fossil fuels.
The adopted agreement, the result of extensive negotiations, calls for urgent action during what is deemed a critical decade. It explicitly urges countries to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, aiming to achieve net zero by 2050. The agreement also advocates tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, phasing down unabated coal power, and accelerating technologies like carbon capture.
While the agreement addresses “phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions as soon as possible,” it falls short of explicitly calling for a “phase-out” of fossil fuels, a point sought by many Western countries and vulnerable island nations.
The draft, which represents the first collective move away from oil, gas, and coal, responsible for 80% of global energy and significant contributors to climate change, is a departure from an earlier version criticized for offering optional measures. The COP28 Presidency called for a final meeting on Wednesday, hoping to pass the agreement and conclude two weeks of challenging negotiations. The next steps involve individual countries proposing and implementin
