World Climate Conference COP28 - Analysis: Hardly any oil and gas states have exit plans
The phase-out of coal, oil and gas is the subject of heated debate at the COP28 Climate Change Conference - but according to a recent analysis, the majority of oil and gas-producing countries have no plans to phase them out.
According to an evaluation of the Net Zero Tracker by international research teams, only three percent of oil-producing countries have a firm goal to phase out oil production. The Net Zero Tracker analysis tool was developed jointly by several organizations, including the NewClimate Institute and researchers from Oxford University.
Only three percent of gas-producing countries have also decided to phase out gas production. The countries included in the analysis were those that are striving for climate neutrality in principle.
Fossil fuels are here to stay
The situation is similar for the production of oil and gas: here, too, only three percent of oil and gas producing countries have committed to a phase-out. This means that only 0.8 percent of oil and gas production in countries that actually want to be climate-neutral in the future is covered. In coal production, only three percent of countries have also decided to phase out coal, compared to 13 percent in production - although the largest producers, China, the USA, Indonesia and India, are missing.
The authors cite Spain, which has transposed its phase-out targets into national legislation, as a positive example.
The global phase-out of coal, oil and gas is one of the most contentious issues in Dubai, as it is considered fundamental to achieving international climate targets. The Emirates and several other countries want to continue to rely on fossil fuels and use technologies such as CO2 storage or capture. However, experts consider these to be scientifically controversial, very expensive and not feasible on a large scale in the near future.
Luisa Neubauer: Must protect the dignity of the climate conference
In Dubai, activists urged the 200 countries represented to be much more ambitious in the fight against global warming. Above all, COP28 must decide on a complete phase-out of the climate-damaging energy sources coal, oil and gas, demanded Luisa Neubauer from Fridays for Future at a protest action on the conference grounds.
Neubauer sharply criticized in particular statements made by the COP President from the United Arab Emirates, Sultan al-Jaber, who also heads the state oil company. "When key figures cast doubt on the scientific consensus, it makes a mockery of the entire negotiation process. We are here to protect the dignity and integrity of this conference." Unfortunately, it is still necessary to point to the simplest findings of climate research that have been available for decades. "Any schoolchild can understand that. That is ridiculous. And we are angry about it."
The Guardian and the Centre for Climate Reporting had reported that Al-Jaber had said in a video call with UN representatives and others in November that there was "no science" to prove that phasing out fossil fuels was necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. This contradicts the prevailing opinion in climate research.
Clara Duvigneau from Fridays for Future made a sharp appeal to the "leaders of the global North", who have been doing too little to protect the climate for decades. "Real action means: all coal, gas and oil projects must be stopped - without loopholes," she said. "We have you in our sights. We are angry and we are disappointed. We are tired of all your empty promises. A complete phase-out of all fossil fuels must be decided here at the COP."
Read also:
- The UN Climate Change Conference COP28 is currently underway, with the phase-out of coal, oil, and gas as a major point of debate.
- According to a recent analysis by the Net Zero Tracker, developed by international research teams including the NewClimate Institute and the University of Oxford, only three percent of oil-producing countries have a firm goal to phase out oil production.
- The situation is similar for gas-producing countries, with only three percent committing to phasing out gas production.
- The phase-out of oil, gas, and coal is a contentious issue in Dubai, considered crucial to achieving international climate targets.
- Activists from Fridays for Future, led by Luisa Neubauer, are urging countries at COP28 to be more ambitious in the fight against global warming, demanding a complete phase-out of coal, oil, and gas.
- Neubauer criticized statements made by the COP President from the United Arab Emirates, Sultan al-Jaber, who heads the state oil company, for doubting the scientific consensus on the need to phase out fossil fuels.
- Clara Duvigneau from Fridays for Future called on leaders of the global North to take real action by stopping all coal, gas, and oil projects and committing to a complete phase-out of all fossil fuels at COP28.
Source: www.stern.de
