UN climate chief calls final draft "grab bag"
There is a heated debate at the climate conference in Dubai about phasing out fossil fuels. The EU and the USA are in favor, Saudi Arabia and India are showing resistance. At the halfway point, the UN's top climate envoy warns against adopting only the lowest denominator instead of the highest ambitions.
At the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, UN climate chief Simon Stiell used clear words to urge the almost 200 countries to be more ambitious. "Let's be honest: Good intentions alone will not halve emissions in this decade, nor will they save lives here and now," he said. The current draft of the final document, known in UN jargon as the global stocktake, is a "grab bag of wish lists", he criticized. "The negotiating parties must now sort this out - and then herald the end of the fossil age as we know it with a clear statement."
This means formally deciding to gradually phase out coal, oil and gas. A good 100 countries now support this at the conference, but there is resistance. According to information from environmental associations, the oil state of Saudi Arabia and India, which relies heavily on coal, are among those opposing a commitment to phase out fossil fuels. The teams need clear marching orders: It's about the highest ambitions, not lowest common denominators. "At the end of next week, COP28 must deliver a high-speed train to accelerate climate protection. But we currently have an old slow train chugging along shaky tracks. But the tools are all on the table, the technologies and solutions are available," said Stiell, head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC).
Cautious optimism from Germany
EU Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra also said that there was still a lot to be done at the UN meeting, which is due to end on Tuesday. By 2025 at the latest, the world must reach the peak in climate-damaging emissions and reduce emissions by 43 percent by 2030. "The sticking point, which of course we are all talking about, is phasing out fossil fuels," he said. He wanted to make it clear once again what the European Union stands for: "I want this COP to mark the beginning of the end for fossil fuels." Cautious optimism came from the German delegation. "A good result is possible, but it won't be easy," said the German climate envoy and State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Office, Jennifer Morgan.
In addition to the EU, the USA also committed to a far-reaching phase-out of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and steel. There is no other way to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gases to almost zero by 2050, said US climate envoy John Kerry in Dubai. In some sectors, however, fossil fuels will continue to be needed for the foreseeable future, for example in cement and steel production. However, the carbon dioxide would then have to be captured and stored. With regard to the resistance of Saudi Arabia and India, Kerry said: "It's time for adults to behave like adults."
It was only on Tuesday that the report on the global carbon budget showed that CO2 emissions are continuing to rise. According to the report, they are expected to reach a record level of 36.8 billion tons in 2023. This is 1.1 percent more than in 2022 and 1.4 percent more than in the pre-corona year 2019.
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The UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, also known as COP28, is a key gathering for world climate conferences in 2023. Despite the debate on phasing out fossil fuels, UN climate chief Simon Stiell emphasizes the need for highest ambitions instead of adopting the lowest common denominators. Dubai, the host city, also serves as a backdrop for nations to formally decide to phase out coal, oil, and gas.
Source: www.ntv.de
