World Climate Conference in Dubai goes into extra time in dispute over fossil fuels

World Climate Conference in Dubai goes into extra time in dispute over fossil fuels

COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber had announced at the start of the conference that the negotiations would be concluded by Tuesday morning at the latest. However, as a draft resolution submitted on Monday was rejected by around 130 states, negotiations on a new resolution text continued in a tense atmosphere throughout the night and throughout Tuesday.

As AFP learned from several sources, representatives of various groups of countries were received one after the other at the COP presidency offices on Tuesday evening.

Germany and the EU, among others, had rejected the draft resolution as a "disappointment" - in particular because it no longer contained a joint commitment to a global phase-out of all fossil fuels, but only vague formulations about a reduction in oil and gas use by the middle of the century. He was "surprised at the lack of ambition", commented one Western negotiator on the draft. EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra spoke of a "super-majority" against it.

The draft text was "not only bad for the climate, but also for the economy", Baerbock told the Bild newspaper. "Companies need clarity on which investments are worthwhile. Otherwise billions would be wasted on yesterday's technology."

US climate envoy John Kerry, whose country itself is one of the largest oil producers, is also in favor of a global energy transition. On Tuesday evening, he spoke of "progress" in the negotiations.

Zambia declared on behalf of the African bloc of states that Africa supports a phase-out of fossil fuels. However, the oil-producing African countries would need financial support in return.

Regarding the negotiating position of China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, negotiators in favor of phasing out fossil fuels said: "I wouldn't say China is fighting with us, but we are not fighting China." Regarding Saudi Arabia, the source said that the oil country is "vigorously showing that it is not willing to budge".

At the meeting of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (Oapec) in Doha, several countries firmly backed Saudi Arabia. Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Hamad Nasser al-Barrak, for example, criticized "this extraordinary insistence on depriving peoples and many countries of a basic source of energy" as "racist and colonialist".

The COP presidency emphasized that the conference decision had to be taken by consensus. It is now a matter of pouring the different points of view into a resolution text "so that everyone can be satisfied with it", explained COP28 Director-General Madschid al-Suwaidi. The draft presented on Monday had enabled "honest, practical, pragmatic discussions" on the respective "red lines" of the negotiating delegations.

In order to demand more ambitious resolutions, NGOs organized protest actions on the conference grounds on Tuesday. The Political Director of the environment and development organization Germanwatch, Christoph Bals, sharply criticized COP President al-Jaber. He said that the "technically unprofessional" draft resolution presented did not reflect the broad majority in favor of a global phase-out of all fossil fuels.

According to Bals, one possible reason is that the presidency presented a draft resolution with very weak wording for tactical reasons, so that the advocates of a fossil fuel phase-out and its staunch opponents would ultimately meet in the middle. However, it is also possible that "in the short term, Saudi Arabia in particular exerted so much pressure that the Presidency did not dare to present its original plan".

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1. Despite rejecting the initial draft resolution, Germany and other countries continued to advocate for a global phase-out of all fossil fuels at the COP28 negotiations.
2. The un climate conference in Dubai went into extra time due to disputes over the inclusion of fossil fuels in the draft resolution, with China and Saudi Arabia reportedly opposing a complete phase-out.
3. The picture newspaper reported that Annalena Baerbock, Germany's Climate Minister, saw the rejected draft resolution as not only harmful for the climate but also for the economy, citing wasted investments in outdated technology.
4. During the negotiations, EU energies ministers expressed their disappointment with the draft resolution, labeling it a "disappointment" and a "super-majority" against it.
5. In efforts to introduce more ambitious resolutions, NGOs organized protests on the conference grounds, criticizing COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber for presenting a "technically unprofessional" draft resolution.
6. Zambia and other African states supported a phase-out of fossil fuels, but only if financial assistance is provided to oil-producing African countries.
7. US climate envoy John Kerry acknowledged progress in the negotiations but urged an accelerated global energy transition, stressing the need for oil-producing countries to shift towards renewable energies.
8. In the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (Oapec) meeting in Doha, several countries backed Saudi Arabia's stance, with Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Hamad Nasser al-Barrak criticizing what he considered "racist and colonialist" insistence on depriving countries of fossil fuels.
9. COP28 negotiations under the Saudia Arabia Presidency faced pressure to reach consensus on climate action, with COP28 Director-General Madschid al-Suwaidi highlighting the need to balance various perspectives and preferences in the draft resolution text.
10. The draft resolution presented on Monday allowed for "honest, practical, pragmatic discussions" on the red lines of negotiating delegations, enabling negotiators to find common ground amid disagreements over fossil fuels.
11. The world climate conference continues to grapple with the complex issue of balancing climate action with energy security and economic development, as countries debate the extension and implications of fossil fuel use in the global energy system.

Source: www.stern.de