The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is chairing the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), has proposed an interim path to reduce fossil fuel use around the world, upsetting the expectations of many countries and organizations.
The new text, news agency France-Presse (AFP) reports, caused “great disappointment” among countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who expected a clear call for the “gradual elimination” of oil, gas and coal, responsible for warming from the earth.
The new wording calls for reducing fossil fuel consumption and production “in a fair, orderly and equitable manner,” to achieve net zero (carbon neutrality) before or around 2050, “as recommended by science.”
But the text no longer mentions the word ‘exit’ from fossil fuels, and now covers a whole menu of demands from oil producing and exporting countries, such as mentioning nascent carbon capture and storage technologies they need to continue to be able to pump hydrocarbons.
With regard to coal, the text calls for a “rapid reduction without CO2 capture”, but also for “restrictions on permits for new coal-fired power stations” without CO2 capture.
For the AFP, such a conclusion on coal actually represents a setback compared to the COP in Glasgow two years ago, when no blank checks were issued for new power stations.
One paragraph of the 21-page text also cites “low-emission” technologies, including nuclear power, carbon capture and “low-carbon” hydrogen, “to enhance efforts to continuously replace fossil fuels in energy systems.”
This wording reflects the Joint Sunnylands Declaration, signed by China and the United States in November.
The world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases (together 41%) avoided talk of the “phasing out” of fossil fuels, instead emphasizing that renewable energy sources (solar, wind, among others) should gradually replace them.
As negotiators and observers unraveled the text, reactions ranging from moderate to outraged emerged from Dubai.
“Our voices are not being heard” and the project is “totally inadequate” when it comes to the issue of fossil fuels, said Samoa’s Environment Minister Cedric Schuster, who chairs the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis).
The text “represents a major step backwards compared to previous versions,” said Harjeet Singh, director of global political strategy at CAN, which represents more than a thousand associations and participates in the COP’s work as an observer.
“Surprisingly, it no longer contains explicit text on phasing out fossil fuels,” Singh added.
Andreas Sieber, from the NGO 350.org, also criticized the proposals for being “weaker” than the previous ones.
“Nations committed to climate action must reject this watered-down proposal and push for transformative changes to have a meaningful impact on climate change,” he said.
A source from European negotiators, contacted by AFP, believes the text is “far from what the climate currently needs”.
“One thing is certain: we will not be there until 11 a.m. on Tuesday,” the time when Sultan al-Jaber wants to end COP28.
Li Shuo, from the think tank Asia Society, points out that the text no longer contains several options but is in final form, unlike the three previous versions, suggesting that COP28 President al-Jaber is a “take it or leave it ” suggests. ” stake.
The plenary session is scheduled for 7:00 PM (3:00 PM in Lisbon).
“We are in a race against time,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said at the start of this endless day, calling on countries to show “maximum flexibility” to avoid major disappointments on Tuesday.
Guterres was very clear: the COP28 climate summit should call for a “phase out of fossil fuels,” but “this does not mean that all countries should eliminate fossil fuels at the same time.”
In other words, rich countries must set a good example and help poorer countries finance their solar power plants or electrify their factories.
“We do not have a minute to lose in this crucial final stretch,” warned Simon Stiell, director of UN Climate, stating that “higher levels of ambition are possible” on the two inseparable themes at the heart of the latest talks. : the end of oil, coal and gas on the one hand, and the dollars that poor countries need to develop without fossil fuels on the other.
“We cannot leave Dubai without having a clear idea of how our countries will be supported in the energy transition,” Madeleine Diouf Sarr of Senegal, the outgoing president of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group, told AFP.
Source: DN
