UN climate talks in Dubai on Tuesday ran past a host-imposed deadline for a deal as at-risk nations voiced fury over a proposed compromise that stops short of phasing out fossil fuels.
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COP28 president determined to find deal all can support, says spokesperson
COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber is determined to deliver a deal text that has the support of all parties at the climate summit in Dubai and will continue consultations into the early hours of Wednesday, a COP28 spokesperson said in a statement.
"Overnight and throughout today, the COP28 President and his team have been engaging in extensive consultations with a wide representation of negotiating groups and Parties," the statement said.
"This is to ensure everyone is heard, and all views are considered. He is determined to deliver a version of the text that has the support of all Parties. Consultations will continue until 03:00AM GST (2300 GMT).”
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Next deal text will have stronger fossil fuel language, says US climate envoy Kerry
US climate envoy John Kerry said the next draft of the COP28 summit deal text would contain stronger language on the future of fossil fuels.
Asked if the fossil language was stronger, Kerry told reporters: "Yes it is."
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UK minister returns from COP28 for Rwanda vote in parliament
The British minister at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai flew back to London to vote on Tuesday on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, a move campaigners said sent a damaging message about Britain's priorities at a crucial time for climate talks.
Graham Stuart, minister of state for Energy Security and Net Zero, has been representing Britain in Dubai.
Stuart has said that the draft test for the summit does not go far enough, and Britain would push for a more ambitious outcome.
However, with the outcome of the summit still in the balance, he left Dubai to vote on the prime minister's key policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda to act as a deterrent to those arriving in small boats on the English coast.
Charities and campaigners criticised both the decision to leave COP and the policy that Stuart was going to vote for.
"There can be no more tragic outcome for UK climate diplomacy than this – flying home from talks to avert a climate catastrophe at the most critical moment in an attempt to salvage a cruel and impractical policy," said Chiara Liguori, Oxfam's senior climate change policy adviser.
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At least $2.1 billion in new funds pledged at COP28
With the United Nations climate talks wrapping up in Dubai, foundations and other funders pledged at least $2.1 billion in new financing to reduce climate impacts, especially from agriculture, and increasing help for vulnerable communities.
The estimated pledges, which do not represent a complete account of philanthropic commitments at COP28, came from a mix of foundations and private companies with some made in partnership with governments. They will be delivered over a range of timelines.
For instance, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has long focused on food insecurity through developing tools and technology to help farmers adapt to climate change, announced a new commitment of $100 million along with the United Arab Emirates, who committed another $100 million. Some of those funds will go to CGIAR, an agricultural research group, which the Gates Foundation has supported with more than $1 billion in grants over time.
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COP28 presidency wants 'historic' mention on future of fossil fuels in text
COP28 Director General Majid Al Suwaidi said on Tuesday the summit's presidency wanted to include a "historic" mention on the future of fossil fuels in the next draft text for a possible deal, but it was up to the almost 200 nations at the talks.
"At this COP we are trying to do something that has never been done before, something historic ... Part of this is to include fossil fuels in the text. If we can, that would be historic," he told reporters.
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UAE says seeking 'consensus' with next climate deal draft
The United Arab Emirates, host of the COP28 climate summit, said Tuesday it would seek consensus with a new draft deal after wide criticism of language on fossil fuels.
"We need to work on how we put their views into the text in a way that everybody can be happy with," said Majid Al Suwaidi, COP28 director general. "The point is to get a consensus."
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COP28 countries set to continue negotiations beyond host-set deadline
After another late night of haggling, there was no sign that the COP28 talks on a draft agreement to reduce fossil fuel use were anywhere near completion, with negotiators waiting for a fresh text after wide criticism of a draft released Monday.
A deadline set by the Emirati hosts of the Dubai climate summit passed at 11am local time on Tuesday without a deal, with negotiators expected to work overtime after fury on a proposal that stops short of phasing out fossil fuels.
"We have time and we are prepared to stay a little longer," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
The team from the Marshall Islands – a low laying Pacific archipelago, threatened with submersion – vowed to stay until the end. It’s negotiator, John Silk, said that his country "did not come here to sign our death warrant".
Campaigners had hoped the COP28 summit – set in a glitzy metropolis built on petrodollars – would take the historic step of calling for the first time for a global phase-out of fossil fuels, which account for three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions blamed for the planetary crisis.
But the latest draft of the 21-page text put forward by COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber – himself head of the UAE's national oil company – does not go so far as to demand action on fossil fuels, only presenting measures that nations "could" take.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
