COP28 in Dubai - Oil states block: Climate conference probably ends without a clear end for fossil fuels
At the World Climate Conference in Dubai (COP28), a compromise draft resolution has now been presented that calls for a "transition" away from fossil fuels. This means that the text presented in Dubai on Wednesday morning has been tightened up compared to the previous draft following lengthy negotiations. However, countries such as Germany did not get their way with their demand to agree a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas.
The new central draft resolution calls for a "transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and fair manner". If the new text is adopted by the conference plenary, it would be the first resolution at a UN climate conference to address the future of all fossil fuels - including oil and gas as well as coal. Oil states such as Saudi Arabia in particular had vehemently opposed a resolution to completely abandon oil and gas worldwide.
The UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai (COP28) was supposed to end on Tuesday. However, the draft resolution presented by the Emirati COP presidency on Monday was rejected by a large majority, including the EU states, the USA, Brazil and the small island states. According to them, a total of around 130 states opposed the vague draft resolution.
The earlier version had only provided for a "reduction" in the extraction and use of fossil fuels. It also stated that this should be done in a "fair, orderly" manner in order to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality "by, before or around 2050".
Climate conference resolution: more of an appeal than an announcement
The draft now presented also focuses on the years up to 2030, which are important for a climate-friendly transition. The text calls for climate protection measures to be "accelerated" in this "crucial decade" in order to achieve climate neutrality worldwide by 2050. At the same time, the importance of "transitional energies" for energy security is recognized - a reference to the importance of natural gas as a less climate-damaging energy source than oil.
The Emirati COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber now wants to have the revised draft resolution voted on quickly. He convened the conference plenary for 09:30 local time (06:30 CET). At UN climate conferences, decisions must be made by consensus. However, there is no formal vote.
The central text of the resolution is the final document of the so-called Global Stocktake (GST). This reviews the implementation of the national climate targets that countries have set themselves to implement the Paris Climate Agreement every five years and has now taken place for the first time. As the global stocktake is very comprehensive, unlike at previous world climate conferences, there will be no blanket decision by the conference plenary at COP28.
Demand for fossil fuel phase-out remains
Stephen Cornelius from WWF said that the new central draft resolution was a "much-needed improvement" on the previous text. The wording on fossil fuels had been "significantly improved", but was not enough.
"For a planet worth living on, we need a complete phase-out of all fossil fuels," warned Cornelius. However, if the text is adopted, this would be a "significant moment" in his view, as it would be the first time that a world climate conference had named fossil fuels as the driver of the climate crisis after years of avoidance.
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At the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the proposed compromise resolution now encourages a "transition" away from fossil fuels, despite resistance from oil states like Saudi Arabia who vehemently oppose a global abandonment of oil and gas. Regardless of the new draft, demands for a complete phase-out of all fossil fuels persist, as asserted by Stephen Cornelius from WWF, implying the need for a more comprehensive climate conference resolution in Dubai.
Source: www.stern.de
