A new draft climate agreement proposed Monday by the Emirati presidency of UN COP28 talks called for reducing the production and consumption of fossil fuels but it no longer mentioned a "phase-out".
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Critics pan 'watered-down' draft text as COP28 nears finish
Countries moved closer to reaching what critics called a watered-down final deal on how to act on climate change on Monday, to the disappointment and anger of nations who called to phase out planet-warming fossil fuels as the United Nations summit in Dubai neared its culmination.
In a closed-door meeting, some country delegation chiefs needled COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber’s frequent calling of the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times his “north star,” saying the president’s proposal misses that star.
“It is not enough to say 1.5, we have to do 1.5. We have to deliver accordingly,” Norway minister Espen Barth Eide said.
A source inside the room said several negotiating blocs, including those for small island states, Latin American countries, the European Union and developing countries, all spoke against the new draft, saying its ambition wasn't strong enough.
Some Pacific Island nations argued the text amounted to a death sentence.
The proposed text “doesn’t even come close to delivering 1.5 as a north star,” Tuvalu’s delegation chief Seve Paeniu said. “For us this is a matter of survival. We cannot put loopholes in our children’s futures.”
German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said Europe was “extremely unified” in opposing the COP presidency’s text, calling it unacceptable.
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COP28 draft deal calls for 'reducing' fossil fuel production, consumption
A new draft climate agreement proposed Monday by the Emirati presidency of UN COP28 talks called for reducing the production and consumption of fossil fuels but it no longer mentioned a "phase-out".
The text prepared under COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, the head of the UAE's national oil company, was released on the eve of the final day of the annual climate conference in Dubai.
The document calls for reducing the consumption and production of fossil fuels in "a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by, before, or around 2050 in keeping with the science".
A previous draft on Friday included the word "phase-out" which climate campaigners, low-lying island states and the European Union have been pushing for.
Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the head of the OPEC+ oil cartel have opposed language that would target fossil fuels in any COP28 deal.
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UN chief urges phase-out of all fossil fuels
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged an agreement at COP28 to phase out fossil fuels, pressing negotiators to show flexibility in the climate summit's final hours.
Less than a day before the summit's scheduled close in Dubai, Guterres flew back and warned there were "still large gaps" holding up a consensus.
"We are in a race against time," Guterres told reporters.
"Now is the time for maximum ambition and maximum flexibility," Guterres said. "It's time to go into overdrive to negotiate in good faith."
Guterres, who has made climate a top priority, called on negotiators to have a "single-minded focus on tackling the root cause of the climate crisis – fossil fuel production and consumption".
He called on the summit to recognise "the need to phase out all fossil fuels" – a stance opposed by oil producers led by Saudi Arabia.
Read more‘Stunned’: OPEC urges members to block action on fossil fuels at COP28
In his call for flexibility, Guterres said there should also be attention to the concerns of fossil fuel producers and that not all countries would have the same immediate responsibility.
The call for action "doesn't mean that all countries must phase out fossil fuels at the same time", Guterres said.
"But it means that globally the phase-out of fossil fuels need to be compatible with net zero in 2050 and with the limit of 1.5 degrees in temperature rise" above pre-industrial levels, he said.
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UN climate chief urges countries to lift 'unnecessary tactical blockades' at COP28
The UN's climate envoy urged countries at the COP28 summit on Monday to lift "unnecessary tactical blockades", with 24 hours before the official end of talks in Dubai that are focused on a deal to phase out fossil fuels.
"First, clear the unnecessary tactical blockades out of the way," said Simon Stiell, citing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the transition of less developed countries.
"Any strategic landmines that blow it up for one, blow it up for all," he told reporters.
He urged countries to remain ambitious as they seek a way to preserve the goal of checking global warming at no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
"I urge negotiators to reject incrementalism. Each step back from the highest ambition will cost countless millions of lives," Stiell said.
"The reality is the highest-ambition outcomes are the only way for all governments to leave Dubai with a win under their belt," he said.
"One thing is for certain: 'I win, you lose' is a recipe for collective failure. Ultimately, it is 8 billion people's security that is at stake."
Talks have intensified over calls to phase out fossil fuels, the top culprit in the planet's worsening crisis, but oil producers have put up tough resistance.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
