COP 28 agrees transition away from fossil fuels

The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP 28, wrapped up in Dubai today. As late as yesterday there were fears that the conference could end without consensus after the draft text of the final agreement omitted any language about the phasing out of fossil fuels.

However after several developed nations hinted they wouldn’t sign such an agreement it appears the negotiating teams from state parties burnt the midnight oil overnight to strengthen the final decision, which now calls on countries to begin “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems”. The agreement does leave fossil fuel producing countries with a fair amount of wriggle room, but given the agreement had to be adopted by consensus it represents at least some level of progress to include such language.

Not everyone was impressed by the outcome though, including The Guardian’s Ben Jennings:

Critics of the final agreement, including the Association of Small Island States, argued that it contained a “litany of loopholes”, leaving space for countries burning large amounts of fossil fuels to use unproven technologies like carbon capture to supposedly offset their emissions. There were also suggestions that the agreement was only adopted because small island states weren’t in the room at the time.

Regardless of the words used in the final decision, as always the proof will be in the implementation of the outcomes. The text also contained a reminder that keeping the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average requires a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions against 2019 levels by 2030. According to the latest synthesis report that totalled up the expected reduction from national determined contributions, we can expect a two per cent reduction. Climate Action Tracker has an excellent chart showing the gap between what were are on track to do and what we need to do.