The countries meeting at the Dubai climate summit approved, this Wednesday, “by consensus” a decision that calls for a “transition” towards abandoning fossil fuels. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate, who in the last two weeks coordinated Portuguese efforts at COP28, considers this a historic agreement.
“After the 28th COP, we managed, for the first time, to commit to ending fossil fuels and this was a decision made by consensus of 197 countries. It is a decision that clearly recognizes the urgency of action, which also recognizes that this It is a critical decade and, therefore, acting in line with science, 197 countries have committed to the beginning of the end of fossil fuels and, therefore, it is a very important day in what is our joint fight, on a scale global, against the climate changes,” he explains to TSF Ana Fontoura Gouveia.
The minister recalls that, on the last day of the COP, “it is important not to forget the first day”, in which “a very important result was achieved: finally guaranteeing financing and support for the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change that “They are already feeling” and thus ensure that they have the means to combat and protect themselves from extreme climate effects.
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate says this is the decade to act, but the approved document could have gone further on the coal issue.
“A text signed by 197 countries is always a compromise and, therefore, with regard to the production of electricity from coal, we would have liked to see a text that was a little more assertive, which did not allow new coal installations. But This was the possible compromise and in the global balance it is a strong commitment, a balanced commitment, which also recognizes the different circumstances of the different countries, their different starting points, their different capacities to achieve this energy transition process and, therefore , as The agreement “It is a balanced agreement that will undoubtedly allow us to continue on this path of fighting climate change, because what has been very clear from day one and for all parties, is that this is the decade to act “he highlights.
“The end of the fossil fuel era.” The agreement is “important”, but has “false solutions”
Also in Dubai, Francisco Ferreira, president of the environmental association Zero, considers that this is a positive agreement, but with some false solutions. Zero’s leader emphasizes that words are not enough, action is necessary.
“This decision to have a clear mention of a transition that, in essence, is the end of the era of fossil fuels is very important, in fact, if we add the tripling of the power of renewable energies between 2022 and 2030 and the energy doubling.efficiency for undoubtedly excellent indications, but it is also true that we have false solutions in the agreement, which are very dubious and costly. We must also overcome the climate financing needs of developing countries. Without a doubt, this is an important step forward, but acting is crucial,” he maintains, also in statements to TSF.
Francisco Ferreira highlights that, in terms of renewable energy, Portugal has a long way to go.
“Portugal has a very important role in leading renewable sources, but it should also not be distracted by dubious solutions, such as exporting hydrogen, or by not knowing how to outsource renewable energy sources in the right places and at the right size.” because we are not going against nature and the populations, that is why we have, without a doubt, an ambitious country, with goals set and even results already achieved, with practically six days of electricity from renewable sources, they are important milestones, but “We still subsidize fossil fuels and therefore we have to reduce them and we have to invest heavily to achieve our own goals, which include, by 2030, at least 47% of our energy coming from renewable sources,” he adds.
This is the first climate agreement on fossil fuels. The consensus was reached after, this morning, the COP28 presidency, led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), presented a new document that mentions the transition towards the end of all fossil fuels with the aim of achieving neutrality of carbon dioxide by 2050.
“We have the foundation to realize transformative change,” said COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, emphasizing: “This is a historic and unprecedented achievement.”
“We should be proud of our historic achievement and the United Arab Emirates, my country, is rightly proud of its role in contributing to this progress,” he added.
The Dubai Climate Summit (COP28) agreed to begin a transition towards fossil fuels, after two weeks of intense negotiations in which around 200 countries debated how to collectively confront the climate crisis.
The countries represented at COP28 adopted on Wednesday the “Global Balance”, the agreement with which they intend to strengthen climate action to contain the increase in temperatures to no more than one and a half degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The agreement, approved by consensus in plenary, calls on States to begin a transition away from fossil fuels, “in an orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, with the aim of achieving the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. according to science”.
At this summit, the priority was to pave the way for the abandonment of this type of energy by the European Union and other industrialized economies, as well as countries highly vulnerable to climate change, as is the case of many developing countries.
The priority of the summit was to pave the way for the transition from this type of energy, for the European Union and other industrialized economies, as well as for countries highly vulnerable to climate change, such as many developing states.
However, until the plenary session, there was uncertainty at COP28 over whether an agreement marking the end of the fossil fuel era would be accepted by oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia.
The first draft of the UAE text caused controversy on Monday because it did not call for “an exit” from fossil fuels, the combustion of which since the 19th century is largely responsible for the current global temperature rise of 1.2°C compared with the previous era. -industrial era.
“We are making progress,” US climate envoy John Kerry said Tuesday night as he headed into another round of talks. “Good progress is being made,” agreed Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen.
Around 130 countries, including the United States and Brazil, called for an ambitious text that would send a clear signal to begin the decline of fossil fuels.
To date, only carbon reduction has been agreed at COP26 in Glasgow. Oil and gas were never mentioned.
The UAE draft agreement includes recognition of the role played by “transitional energies”, referring to gas, in ensuring “energy security” in developing countries, where almost 800 million people do not have access to electricity.
The text contains a series of energy-related calls: tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling the pace of improving energy efficiency by 2030, as well as accelerating “zero carbon” and “low carbon” technologies.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq have taken a hard line, rejecting any agreement that attacks fossil fuels, which are the source of wealth for these countries.
At a conference in Doha on Tuesday, Kuwait’s Oil Minister Saad al-Barrak denounced an “aggressive attack” by the West.
Source: TSF
