UN climate conference calls for a move away from fossil fuels
The UN Climate Change Conference spent two weeks discussing whether the global community should commit to phasing out coal, oil and gas. Agreement was finally reached on a move away from fossil fuels - but a clear phase-out is missing from the final text.
The World Climate Conference in Dubai has agreed on a final document. For the first time at a UN climate conference, the global community is calling for a move away from fossil fuels. However, the clear phase-out previously demanded by more than 100 countries is not included in the final text. The conference president Sultan Al-Jaber stood up in front of the plenary, beaming with applause and spoke of a "historic package". It was a robust action plan to keep the 1.5 degree target within reach.
This refers to the target agreed internationally in 2015 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. Many climate experts and environmentalists had previously cast doubt on this. The text of the conference presidency from the United Arab Emirates was published on Wednesday morning and adopted in plenary just a few hours later. The 21-page paper calls on countries to move away from fossil fuels in their energy systems.
More than one hundred states had previously called for a more far-reaching formulation, namely a phase-out. However, the text also left back doors open - such as the continued use of gas and the use of controversial technologies for storing and capturing CO2. It also includes the goal of tripling the capacity of renewable energies by 2030 and doubling the pace of energy efficiency during this period. The G20 countries had already committed to this.
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The UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, following the lead of the previous conference, also advocated for a shift from fossil fuels. Despite the agreement to turn away from fossil fuels, the final text failed to include a clear phase-out plan, much to the disappointment of over 100 countries advocating for a more decisive action.
Source: www.ntv.de
