COP28 climate talks go into overtime amid standoff over fossil fuels
A flurry of shuttle diplomacy is under way at the UN-led negotiations in the UAE as countries fight over the wording of a potential deal.
Published On 12 Dec 2023
The COP28 climate talks have gone into overtime as countries grapple over the wording of a potential agreement on the issue of fossil fuels.
There was a flurry of shuttle diplomacy as the UN-led conference extended past midday on Tuesday after nearly two weeks of speeches, demonstrations and negotiations with many countries criticising a draft text released on Monday for failing to call for the total phase-out of oil, gas and coal.
A flurry of shuttle diplomacy is under way at the UN-led negotiations in the UAE as countries fight over the wording of a potential deal.
Climate activists protest against fossil fuels at Dubai's Expo City during the COP28 climate talks in Dubai [Thomas Mukoya/Reuters]
Published On 12 Dec 2023
The COP28 climate talks have gone into overtime as countries grapple over the wording of a potential agreement on the issue of fossil fuels.
There was a flurry of shuttle diplomacy as the UN-led conference extended past midday on Tuesday after nearly two weeks of speeches, demonstrations and negotiations with many countries criticising a draft text released on Monday for failing to call for the total phase-out of oil, gas and coal.
The COP28 director general for the United Arab Emirates, Majid Al Suwaidi, said the aim of the draft text was to “spark conversations”.
“The text we released was a starting point for discussions,” Al Suwaidi said at a news conference on Tuesday. “When we released it, we knew opinions were polarised, but what we didn’t know was where each country’s red lines were.”
Monday’s draft prompted negotiations that ran overnight into early Tuesday at the talks in Dubai.
German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said the talks were in a “critical, critical phase”.
“There is a lot of shuttle diplomacy going on,” she said on X, formerly Twitter.
The draft text mentioned eight nonbinding options countries could take in cutting emissions, including reducing “both consumption and production of fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by, before, or around 2050″
This is the first time a UN summit has mentioned reducing the use of all fossil fuel
Too weak?
The draft text was criticised as too weak by countries that included Australia, Canada, Chile, Norway and the United States. They are among nearly 100 nations that want a complete phase-out of coal, oil and natural gas use.
Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change. However, such fuels still produce nearly 80 percent of the world’s energy.
A new draft was supposed to be completed on Tuesday, but ongoing negotiations have prevented that from happening.
Deals at UN climate summits must be passed by consensus, and countries are then responsible for implementing them through their own national policies.
Different timeframes?
Countries in the Global South charge that richer countries should quit fossil fuels first because they have been using and producing them far longer.
“The transition should be premised on differentiated pathways to net zero and fossil fuel phase-down,” said Collins Nzovu, green economy minister for Zambia, which chairs the African group of countries in UN climate talks.
“We should also recognise the full right of Africa to exploit its natural resources sustainably,” he added.
Brazil is on board with forgoing fossil fuels but wants a deal that makes clear that rich and poor nations should do so on different timeframes, Environment Minister Marina Silva said.
OPEC countries, meanwhile, are the strongest resistors of a fossil fuel phase-out.
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Sources told the Reuters news agency that the UAE’s COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber faced pressure from Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, to drop any mention of fossil fuels in the final agreement.
‘Death sentence’
Meanwhile, participants from small island nations, which are among the countries hit hardest by rising sea levels, said they would not approve a deal akin to a “death warrant”.
“How do we go home and tell them the result? That the world has sold us out? ” Briana Fuean, a climate activist from Samoa, asked. “I can’t answer that. We are sitting in rooms being asked to negotiate our death sentence.”
Joseph Sikulu of Pacific Climate Warriors shed tears while talking about the draft text.
“We didn’t come here to sign our death sentence,” he said.
“The text we released was a starting point for discussions,” Al Suwaidi said at a news conference on Tuesday. “When we released it, we knew opinions were polarised, but what we didn’t know was where each country’s red lines were.”
Monday’s draft prompted negotiations that ran overnight into early Tuesday at the talks in Dubai.
German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said the talks were in a “critical, critical phase”.
“There is a lot of shuttle diplomacy going on,” she said on X, formerly Twitter.
The draft text mentioned eight nonbinding options countries could take in cutting emissions, including reducing “both consumption and production of fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by, before, or around 2050″
This is the first time a UN summit has mentioned reducing the use of all fossil fuel
Too weak?
The draft text was criticised as too weak by countries that included Australia, Canada, Chile, Norway and the United States. They are among nearly 100 nations that want a complete phase-out of coal, oil and natural gas use.
Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change. However, such fuels still produce nearly 80 percent of the world’s energy.
A new draft was supposed to be completed on Tuesday, but ongoing negotiations have prevented that from happening.
Deals at UN climate summits must be passed by consensus, and countries are then responsible for implementing them through their own national policies.
Different timeframes?
Countries in the Global South charge that richer countries should quit fossil fuels first because they have been using and producing them far longer.
“The transition should be premised on differentiated pathways to net zero and fossil fuel phase-down,” said Collins Nzovu, green economy minister for Zambia, which chairs the African group of countries in UN climate talks.
“We should also recognise the full right of Africa to exploit its natural resources sustainably,” he added.
Brazil is on board with forgoing fossil fuels but wants a deal that makes clear that rich and poor nations should do so on different timeframes, Environment Minister Marina Silva said.
OPEC countries, meanwhile, are the strongest resistors of a fossil fuel phase-out.
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Sources told the Reuters news agency that the UAE’s COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber faced pressure from Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, to drop any mention of fossil fuels in the final agreement.
‘Death sentence’
Meanwhile, participants from small island nations, which are among the countries hit hardest by rising sea levels, said they would not approve a deal akin to a “death warrant”.
“How do we go home and tell them the result? That the world has sold us out? ” Briana Fuean, a climate activist from Samoa, asked. “I can’t answer that. We are sitting in rooms being asked to negotiate our death sentence.”
Joseph Sikulu of Pacific Climate Warriors shed tears while talking about the draft text.
“We didn’t come here to sign our death sentence,” he said.
COP28 winds down with climate deal stuck in fossil fuel stalemate
By —Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
By —Jamey Keaten, Associated Press
By —Sibi Arasu, Associated Press
By —Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
Ana Tortell is a university graduate who loves a heated debate, she’s very passionate about humanitarian issues and justice. In her free time you’ll probably catch her binge watching way too many TV shows or thinking about her next meal.
By —Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
By —Jamey Keaten, Associated Press
By —Sibi Arasu, Associated Press
By —Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
Dec 12, 2023
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A stark standoff between countries that want a dramatic phase-out to fossil fuels causing damaging warming and those that don’t crushed hopes for an on-time finish to a critical climate summit Tuesday.
READ MORE: As COP28 climate talks move closer to final deal, critics say draft is lacking
The United Nations-led summit known as COP28 was scheduled to end around midday after nearly two weeks of speeches, demonstrations and negotiations. But the climate talks almost always run long, and Monday’s release of a draft agreement angered countries that insist on a commitment for rapid phase-out of coal, oil and gas.
Instead, the draft called for countries to reduce “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”
Majid al-Suwaidi, COP28 Director-General, said Monday night’s draft was meant to get countries to start talking and presenting what are deal-killers for them, which are called “red lines.”
“The text we released was a starting point for discussions,” he said at a news conference midday on Tuesday. “When we released it, we knew opinions were polarized, but what we didn’t know was where each country’s red lines were.”
“We spent last night talking, taking in that feedback, and that has put us in a position to draft a new text,” he said.
A new draft was promised to come out on Tuesday, but much of the critical work in the Dubai-based talks keeps getting delayed.
A senior negotiator for a developing nation who did not want to be named so as to not impact negotiations said the fossil fuel phase-out language would not be in the next version.
Al-Suwaidi gave conflicting comments about the future of the fossil fuel phase-out language, which at one point he said “doesn’t work.”
“It’s important that we have the right language when it comes to fossil fuels. It’s important that we think about how we get that balance. There are those who want phased out. There are those who want phased down,” al-Suwaidi said. “The point is, is to get a consensus.”
“We’ve said as a presidency, we think fossil fuel language needs to be part of that,” al-Suwaidi said. ”Now we need the parties to say, how do they land? We’ve spent a year knowing that that language doesn’t work.”
READ MORE: As COP28 talks wind down, sticking points remain on fossil fuels and climate adaptation
On one side are countries such as Saudi Arabia that won’t accept phase-out language, while European countries and small island nations say it is unacceptable to leave those words out. Countries wanting phase-out are in a tough position because they may have to accept either a weak deal or no deal, neither of which is good for them, said Alden Meyer, a veteran climate negotiations observer for European think-tank E3G.
But Meyer thinks the blowback from phase-out supporters may be the start of strengthening a proposed deal, leaving Saudi Arabia and a few other Gulf states “as the last ones standing in the way of a more ambitious deal. We’re not there yet. There’s more work to be done.”
The key is finding language that won’t make someone block a deal because a final agreement has to be by consensus.
Jean Su from the Center of Biological Diversity said “a feasible success is some type of language that signals a phase out of fossil fuels and it will not have any abatement in it, any carbon capture and storage, something that is clean and fair.”
She said rich countries can leverage financial commitments to developing nations can help pass fossil fuel language in a final deal.
“It’s a game of chicken,” said CEO of Climate Analytics and longtime climate talks observer Bill Hare. He said the European countries and Pacific Island nations are threatening to walk out if there aren’t changes to the text.
“How do we go home and tell them the result?” Briana Fuean, a climate activist from Samoa asked. “That the world has sold us out. I can’t answer that. We are sitting in rooms being asked to negotiate our death sentence.”
She said both the global stocktake, which addresses the Paris agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) to stave off the worst effects of climate change, and the goal for how to adapt to climate extremes are both equally important. Earth is on its way to smashing the record for hottest year, endangering human health and leading to ever more costly and deadly extreme weather.
Joseph Sikulu of Pacific Climate Warriors teared up while trying to express his emotions over the draft text.
“We didn’t come here to sign our death sentence,” he said.
Veteran COP observer Meena Raman of environmental activism group Friends of the Earth’s Malaysia chapter blasted industrialized nations, which caused the problem with historical emissions that stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. And countries like the United States, Canada and Norway are expanding oil production, she said.
“They don’t want to talk about historical responsibility but talk about keeping 1.5 alive,” Raman said. “It’s really playing to the gallery. Fossil fuel expansion is already happening in the global north.”
READ MORE: COP28 talks shift into high gear when words and definitions matter
Activists said they feared that potential objections from major oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, had watered down the text. The head of OPEC, the powerful oil cartel, was reported to have written to member countries last week urging them to block any language to phase out or phase down fossil fuels.
“This text that we saw yesterday is sinking the lifeboat of humanity,” activist Vanessa Nakate said.
“I think there’s a lot of work that the COP28 presidency needs to do to make this better because the first attempt was really bad,” said activist Romain Ioualalen of Oil Change International. “If there isn’t an outcome on … phasing out fossil fuels, this COP will be a failure and the COP President will not be seen as the hero.”
In the 21-page document, the words oil and natural gas did not appear, and the word coal appeared twice. It also had a single mention of carbon capture, a technology touted by some to reduce emissions although it’s untested at scale.
Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists urged negotiators to keep working.
“Please do not shut down this COP before we get the job done,” she said.
Associated Press journalists Lujain Jo, Joshua A. Bickel, Olivia Zhang, Malak Harb, Bassam Hatoum and David Keyton contributed to this report.
RelatedAs COP28 climate talks move closer to final deal, critics say draft is lacking
By Jon Gambrell, Jamey Keaten, Sibi Arasu, Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
Analysis: Why leaders at COP28 should focus on the effect of climate change on conflict
By Natalie Caloca, Council on Foreign Relations
As COP28 talks wind down, sticking points remain on fossil fuels and climate adaptation
By Sibi Arasu, Seth Borenstein, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Protests at COP28 restricted by ‘shocking level of censorship’ in host country UAE
By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Climate change adaptation commitments so far lacking at COP28
COP28 Draft Agreement Abandons References To Phase Out Of Fossil Fuels, And The EU Is Not Happy
By Ana Tortell
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A stark standoff between countries that want a dramatic phase-out to fossil fuels causing damaging warming and those that don’t crushed hopes for an on-time finish to a critical climate summit Tuesday.
READ MORE: As COP28 climate talks move closer to final deal, critics say draft is lacking
The United Nations-led summit known as COP28 was scheduled to end around midday after nearly two weeks of speeches, demonstrations and negotiations. But the climate talks almost always run long, and Monday’s release of a draft agreement angered countries that insist on a commitment for rapid phase-out of coal, oil and gas.
Instead, the draft called for countries to reduce “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”
Majid al-Suwaidi, COP28 Director-General, said Monday night’s draft was meant to get countries to start talking and presenting what are deal-killers for them, which are called “red lines.”
“The text we released was a starting point for discussions,” he said at a news conference midday on Tuesday. “When we released it, we knew opinions were polarized, but what we didn’t know was where each country’s red lines were.”
“We spent last night talking, taking in that feedback, and that has put us in a position to draft a new text,” he said.
A new draft was promised to come out on Tuesday, but much of the critical work in the Dubai-based talks keeps getting delayed.
A senior negotiator for a developing nation who did not want to be named so as to not impact negotiations said the fossil fuel phase-out language would not be in the next version.
Al-Suwaidi gave conflicting comments about the future of the fossil fuel phase-out language, which at one point he said “doesn’t work.”
“It’s important that we have the right language when it comes to fossil fuels. It’s important that we think about how we get that balance. There are those who want phased out. There are those who want phased down,” al-Suwaidi said. “The point is, is to get a consensus.”
“We’ve said as a presidency, we think fossil fuel language needs to be part of that,” al-Suwaidi said. ”Now we need the parties to say, how do they land? We’ve spent a year knowing that that language doesn’t work.”
READ MORE: As COP28 talks wind down, sticking points remain on fossil fuels and climate adaptation
On one side are countries such as Saudi Arabia that won’t accept phase-out language, while European countries and small island nations say it is unacceptable to leave those words out. Countries wanting phase-out are in a tough position because they may have to accept either a weak deal or no deal, neither of which is good for them, said Alden Meyer, a veteran climate negotiations observer for European think-tank E3G.
But Meyer thinks the blowback from phase-out supporters may be the start of strengthening a proposed deal, leaving Saudi Arabia and a few other Gulf states “as the last ones standing in the way of a more ambitious deal. We’re not there yet. There’s more work to be done.”
The key is finding language that won’t make someone block a deal because a final agreement has to be by consensus.
Jean Su from the Center of Biological Diversity said “a feasible success is some type of language that signals a phase out of fossil fuels and it will not have any abatement in it, any carbon capture and storage, something that is clean and fair.”
She said rich countries can leverage financial commitments to developing nations can help pass fossil fuel language in a final deal.
“It’s a game of chicken,” said CEO of Climate Analytics and longtime climate talks observer Bill Hare. He said the European countries and Pacific Island nations are threatening to walk out if there aren’t changes to the text.
“How do we go home and tell them the result?” Briana Fuean, a climate activist from Samoa asked. “That the world has sold us out. I can’t answer that. We are sitting in rooms being asked to negotiate our death sentence.”
She said both the global stocktake, which addresses the Paris agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) to stave off the worst effects of climate change, and the goal for how to adapt to climate extremes are both equally important. Earth is on its way to smashing the record for hottest year, endangering human health and leading to ever more costly and deadly extreme weather.
Joseph Sikulu of Pacific Climate Warriors teared up while trying to express his emotions over the draft text.
“We didn’t come here to sign our death sentence,” he said.
Veteran COP observer Meena Raman of environmental activism group Friends of the Earth’s Malaysia chapter blasted industrialized nations, which caused the problem with historical emissions that stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. And countries like the United States, Canada and Norway are expanding oil production, she said.
“They don’t want to talk about historical responsibility but talk about keeping 1.5 alive,” Raman said. “It’s really playing to the gallery. Fossil fuel expansion is already happening in the global north.”
READ MORE: COP28 talks shift into high gear when words and definitions matter
Activists said they feared that potential objections from major oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, had watered down the text. The head of OPEC, the powerful oil cartel, was reported to have written to member countries last week urging them to block any language to phase out or phase down fossil fuels.
“This text that we saw yesterday is sinking the lifeboat of humanity,” activist Vanessa Nakate said.
“I think there’s a lot of work that the COP28 presidency needs to do to make this better because the first attempt was really bad,” said activist Romain Ioualalen of Oil Change International. “If there isn’t an outcome on … phasing out fossil fuels, this COP will be a failure and the COP President will not be seen as the hero.”
In the 21-page document, the words oil and natural gas did not appear, and the word coal appeared twice. It also had a single mention of carbon capture, a technology touted by some to reduce emissions although it’s untested at scale.
Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists urged negotiators to keep working.
“Please do not shut down this COP before we get the job done,” she said.
Associated Press journalists Lujain Jo, Joshua A. Bickel, Olivia Zhang, Malak Harb, Bassam Hatoum and David Keyton contributed to this report.
RelatedAs COP28 climate talks move closer to final deal, critics say draft is lacking
By Jon Gambrell, Jamey Keaten, Sibi Arasu, Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
Analysis: Why leaders at COP28 should focus on the effect of climate change on conflict
By Natalie Caloca, Council on Foreign Relations
As COP28 talks wind down, sticking points remain on fossil fuels and climate adaptation
By Sibi Arasu, Seth Borenstein, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Protests at COP28 restricted by ‘shocking level of censorship’ in host country UAE
By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Climate change adaptation commitments so far lacking at COP28
COP28 Draft Agreement Abandons References To Phase Out Of Fossil Fuels, And The EU Is Not Happy
By Ana Tortell
December 12, 2023
A draft agreement from the UN’s COP28 climate summit has omitted references to the phaseout of fossil fuels.
This triggered a backlash from countries – including EU member states – that want stronger measures against fossil fuels and accuse Saudi Arabia and other petrostates of disrupting global efforts to combat the climate crisis.
The agreement includes a number of actions that countries could take to get greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – presenting the option as a choice.
This includes reducing “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero [carbon emissions] by, before, or around 2050 in keeping with the science”.
However, several countries have criticised this move, urging the need for a stronger and clearer position on the phasing out of fossil fuels, rather than presenting the decrease in national consumption and production as a choice.
This is essential considering that fossil-fuel burning accounts for around three-quarters of emissions, making it the biggest contributor to climate change.
The agreement is facing reproval from many EU states, small island countries, and the UK.
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said this was “clearly insufficient”.
“For the vast majority of our emissions, we have no alternative than to drive them down and out ASAP.”
Germany, the UK, and a coalition of small island states shared similar sentiments with the German foreign minister saying it contradicted EU energy policy and allowed for new coal power plants.
Meanwhile, the UK government said its position is clear, “there must be a phase-out of unabated fossil fuels to meet our climate goals”.
On the other hand, Samoa’s minister of natural resources who was speaking on behalf of a group of small island countries vulnerable to climate change, said they were “not being heard” and that their survival is “at stake”.
The secretary-General of the UN António Guterres said that the success of COP28 relies on reaching a consensus on the need to “reach a consensus on the need to phase out fossil fuels” while the US State Department said the wording on fossil fuels needed to be “substantially strengthened”.
Following this news, negotiators and state representatives accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring the president of COP28 and head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to divert the focus on any agreement away from fossil fuels.
An EU negotiator even highlighted an “emerging proactive coalition” that is more conscious, organised, and coordinated than ever before.
Do you think the COP28 needs a stronger approach to the phasing out of fossil fuels?
A draft agreement from the UN’s COP28 climate summit has omitted references to the phaseout of fossil fuels.
This triggered a backlash from countries – including EU member states – that want stronger measures against fossil fuels and accuse Saudi Arabia and other petrostates of disrupting global efforts to combat the climate crisis.
The agreement includes a number of actions that countries could take to get greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – presenting the option as a choice.
This includes reducing “consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero [carbon emissions] by, before, or around 2050 in keeping with the science”.
However, several countries have criticised this move, urging the need for a stronger and clearer position on the phasing out of fossil fuels, rather than presenting the decrease in national consumption and production as a choice.
This is essential considering that fossil-fuel burning accounts for around three-quarters of emissions, making it the biggest contributor to climate change.
The agreement is facing reproval from many EU states, small island countries, and the UK.
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said this was “clearly insufficient”.
“For the vast majority of our emissions, we have no alternative than to drive them down and out ASAP.”
Germany, the UK, and a coalition of small island states shared similar sentiments with the German foreign minister saying it contradicted EU energy policy and allowed for new coal power plants.
Meanwhile, the UK government said its position is clear, “there must be a phase-out of unabated fossil fuels to meet our climate goals”.
On the other hand, Samoa’s minister of natural resources who was speaking on behalf of a group of small island countries vulnerable to climate change, said they were “not being heard” and that their survival is “at stake”.
The secretary-General of the UN António Guterres said that the success of COP28 relies on reaching a consensus on the need to “reach a consensus on the need to phase out fossil fuels” while the US State Department said the wording on fossil fuels needed to be “substantially strengthened”.
Following this news, negotiators and state representatives accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring the president of COP28 and head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to divert the focus on any agreement away from fossil fuels.
An EU negotiator even highlighted an “emerging proactive coalition” that is more conscious, organised, and coordinated than ever before.
Do you think the COP28 needs a stronger approach to the phasing out of fossil fuels?
Ana Tortell is a university graduate who loves a heated debate, she’s very passionate about humanitarian issues and justice. In her free time you’ll probably catch her binge watching way too many TV shows or thinking about her next meal.
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.
Activists protest against the use of fossil fuels at the COP28 UN Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
© Kamran Jebreili, AP
By: FRANCE 24
Issued on: 12/12/2023 -
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.
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."
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.
At UN climate talks, no consensus on what consensus is
Dubai (AFP) – The world's climate negotiators meeting in Dubai have spent sleepless nights in an elusive quest for consensus, but there is no consensus on what consensus means.
Issued on: 12/12/2023
Ignoring dissent
One of the most successful summits took place in Paris in 2015 with an agreement for countries to seek to limit warming to within 1.5 degrees (2.7 Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels.
But the delegate from Nicaragua initially refused to sign on, leading to an extraordinary pressure campaign on the small, single country that reportedly involved intervention by Pope Francis.
Laurent Fabius, then France's foreign minister and COP21 president, said: "I can no long recall whether it was me myself or via the pope, but we inquired to know if he was really representative" of Nicaragua's government position.
"The reply was no and that gave us more freedom," Fabius said.
Objections from Latin American leftists were more successful in the outcome of one of the most anticipated COPs, the 2009 summit in Copenhagen.
In a scene that stunned the sleep-deprived room, the Venezuelan representative, Claudia Salerno, raised her hand with a stigmata-like bloody palm, saying she was speaking on behalf of countries ignored by a deal brokered by US president Barack Obama with other major powers including China.
Denmark's prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, was ready to give up and declare the summit a failure, until the United States and Britain quickly asked for a break and Rasmussen came back to declare the agreement "noted" rather than approved or rejected.
In a parallel COP process, biodiversity talks in Montreal last year reached a major agreement on protecting species when the Chinese president of the meeting ignored objections by the Democratic Republic of Congo, which sought greater assistance from wealthy countries.
In Dubai, it remains to be seen if the Emirati president would brush aside the interests of Saudi Arabia, his country's larger neighbour and fellow oil producer.
Fellow Arab oil producers Kuwait, Iraq and Bahrain have also raised objections to phasing out fossil fuels.
"It comes down to the judgment of the presidency," Meyer said. "Ultimately it's more of a political question."
© 2023 AFP
Dubai (AFP) – The world's climate negotiators meeting in Dubai have spent sleepless nights in an elusive quest for consensus, but there is no consensus on what consensus means.
Issued on: 12/12/2023
COP, as the annual Conference of the Parties meetings are called, takes no votes and there is no requirement of unanimity
© Giuseppe CACACE / AFP
The United Arab Emirates, citing the need in the UN process for consensus, in a draft agreement for the COP28 summit stopped short of backing historic calls for a "phase-out" of fossil fuels.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has led objections to strong action against fossil fuels, the main culprit behind the planet's climate crisis.
But COP, as the annual Conference of the Parties meetings are called, takes no votes and there is no requirement of unanimity.
"It's a matter of interpretation," said Alden Meyer, a veteran watcher of climate negotiations at the E3G climate think tank.
He recalled that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait objected during the original United Nations vote in 1992 that established the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) but the session president, from France, simply brought the gavel down.
Ever since, Saudi Arabia has blocked a proposed rule that would allow decisions by a two-thirds majority if there is no consensus.
In 2012 in Doha, host Qatar ignored a request by Russia to take to the floor with concerns related to the landmark Kyoto Protocol, prompting Moscow angrily to hold up work in talks the following year, Meyer said.
A UNFCCC official said that any objections needed to be "explicit" for there to be no consensus.
The United Arab Emirates, citing the need in the UN process for consensus, in a draft agreement for the COP28 summit stopped short of backing historic calls for a "phase-out" of fossil fuels.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has led objections to strong action against fossil fuels, the main culprit behind the planet's climate crisis.
But COP, as the annual Conference of the Parties meetings are called, takes no votes and there is no requirement of unanimity.
"It's a matter of interpretation," said Alden Meyer, a veteran watcher of climate negotiations at the E3G climate think tank.
He recalled that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait objected during the original United Nations vote in 1992 that established the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) but the session president, from France, simply brought the gavel down.
Ever since, Saudi Arabia has blocked a proposed rule that would allow decisions by a two-thirds majority if there is no consensus.
In 2012 in Doha, host Qatar ignored a request by Russia to take to the floor with concerns related to the landmark Kyoto Protocol, prompting Moscow angrily to hold up work in talks the following year, Meyer said.
A UNFCCC official said that any objections needed to be "explicit" for there to be no consensus.
Ignoring dissent
One of the most successful summits took place in Paris in 2015 with an agreement for countries to seek to limit warming to within 1.5 degrees (2.7 Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels.
But the delegate from Nicaragua initially refused to sign on, leading to an extraordinary pressure campaign on the small, single country that reportedly involved intervention by Pope Francis.
Laurent Fabius, then France's foreign minister and COP21 president, said: "I can no long recall whether it was me myself or via the pope, but we inquired to know if he was really representative" of Nicaragua's government position.
"The reply was no and that gave us more freedom," Fabius said.
Objections from Latin American leftists were more successful in the outcome of one of the most anticipated COPs, the 2009 summit in Copenhagen.
In a scene that stunned the sleep-deprived room, the Venezuelan representative, Claudia Salerno, raised her hand with a stigmata-like bloody palm, saying she was speaking on behalf of countries ignored by a deal brokered by US president Barack Obama with other major powers including China.
Denmark's prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, was ready to give up and declare the summit a failure, until the United States and Britain quickly asked for a break and Rasmussen came back to declare the agreement "noted" rather than approved or rejected.
In a parallel COP process, biodiversity talks in Montreal last year reached a major agreement on protecting species when the Chinese president of the meeting ignored objections by the Democratic Republic of Congo, which sought greater assistance from wealthy countries.
In Dubai, it remains to be seen if the Emirati president would brush aside the interests of Saudi Arabia, his country's larger neighbour and fellow oil producer.
Fellow Arab oil producers Kuwait, Iraq and Bahrain have also raised objections to phasing out fossil fuels.
"It comes down to the judgment of the presidency," Meyer said. "Ultimately it's more of a political question."
© 2023 AFP
Campaigners 'losing trust in COP', says leading activist
Dubai (AFP) – Environmental campaigners are losing faith in the UN-led COP climate process after signs that a phase-out of fossil fuels may not be agreed in Dubai, a leading activist said on Tuesday.
Issued on: 12/12/2023
Dubai (AFP) – Environmental campaigners are losing faith in the UN-led COP climate process after signs that a phase-out of fossil fuels may not be agreed in Dubai, a leading activist said on Tuesday.
Issued on: 12/12/2023
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate poses for a photograph at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi on September 4
© SIMON MAINA / AFP/File
Uganda's Vanessa Nakate, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, said activists were tired of being disappointed at the annual United Nations conferences to battle climate change.
She was speaking after the latest COP28 draft agreement dropped any mention of winding down fossil fuels, speaking only of a potential reduction in consumption and production.
"It can be tiring to keep coming to these places and to be constantly disappointed by the decisions that are made," the 27-year-old told a press conference.
"For this COP to be truly a success, it has to address fossil fuels.
"If leaders fail to address the root cause of the climate crisis after 28 years of climate conferences, then they aren't only failing us, but they're making us lose trust in the entire COP process."
Nakate's comments are reminiscent of 20-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who famously dismissed world leaders' promises on climate change as just "blah, blah, blah".
Thunberg, who in January said it was "ridiculous" that the United Arab Emirates' state oil company chief was the COP28 president, last attended a COP summit in 2021.
Some activists were in tears over the latest text. Joseph Sikulu of Pacific Island Warriors took several seconds to compose himself before addressing the press conference with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Nakate said: "What is happening here is unacceptable. What is happening is unjust. What is happening is unfair."
"This text that we saw yesterday is sinking the lifeboat for humanity," she added, calling it a "death sentence for communities".
"We know that in this case, there are over 2,400 fossil fuel lobbyists that have a lot of control and power over this process," said the Ugandan.
"And we must call out that sabotage, we must call out the power. We must hold the fossil fuel companies accountable for the climate crisis."
"Some people might say that if you are discussing how to cure malaria, you don't invite the mosquitoes," Nakate added.
© 2023 AFP
Uganda's Vanessa Nakate, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, said activists were tired of being disappointed at the annual United Nations conferences to battle climate change.
She was speaking after the latest COP28 draft agreement dropped any mention of winding down fossil fuels, speaking only of a potential reduction in consumption and production.
"It can be tiring to keep coming to these places and to be constantly disappointed by the decisions that are made," the 27-year-old told a press conference.
"For this COP to be truly a success, it has to address fossil fuels.
"If leaders fail to address the root cause of the climate crisis after 28 years of climate conferences, then they aren't only failing us, but they're making us lose trust in the entire COP process."
Nakate's comments are reminiscent of 20-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who famously dismissed world leaders' promises on climate change as just "blah, blah, blah".
Thunberg, who in January said it was "ridiculous" that the United Arab Emirates' state oil company chief was the COP28 president, last attended a COP summit in 2021.
Some activists were in tears over the latest text. Joseph Sikulu of Pacific Island Warriors took several seconds to compose himself before addressing the press conference with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Nakate said: "What is happening here is unacceptable. What is happening is unjust. What is happening is unfair."
"This text that we saw yesterday is sinking the lifeboat for humanity," she added, calling it a "death sentence for communities".
"We know that in this case, there are over 2,400 fossil fuel lobbyists that have a lot of control and power over this process," said the Ugandan.
"And we must call out that sabotage, we must call out the power. We must hold the fossil fuel companies accountable for the climate crisis."
"Some people might say that if you are discussing how to cure malaria, you don't invite the mosquitoes," Nakate added.
© 2023 AFP
COP28 talks enter last day with no deal in sight on fossil fuels
Issued on: 12/12/2023 -
Issued on: 12/12/2023 -
A stark standoff between countries that want a dramatic phase-out to fossil fuels causing damaging warming and those that don't crushed hopes for an on-time finish to a critical climate summit Tuesday. The United Nations-led summit known as COP28 was scheduled to end around midday after nearly two weeks of speeches, demonstrations and negotiations. But the climate talks almost always run long, and Monday's release of a draft agreement angered countries that insist on a commitment for rapid phase-out of coal, oil and gas. A major sticking point, the language employed by the draft was significantly weakened by the fact that the fossil fuel phase-out was removed from the text, FRANCE 24 Environment Editor Valérie Dekimpe said.
Climate justice 'cornerstone' of COP28 agreement, taking Global South concerns 'into account'
Issued on: 12/12/2023 -
Issued on: 12/12/2023 -
06:17
Video by:Shona BHATTACHARYYA
More than 100 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai have agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 - one of the least controversial commitments floated at the conference. But they have given little detail on how they can make an industry running flat out go that much faster. "It is realistic, but there are elements that need to be solved; permitting, leases, grid connections," Anders Opedal, chief executive of Norway's Equinor, a major renewable energy developer, told Reuters. Renewable energy is key to meeting the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming. And while renewables are already expanding fast, this latest goal would require solar and wind power deployments to speed up a lot. The tripling target would bring global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts (GW) in just six years - more than 20% higher than current projections from BloombergNEF of around 9,000 GW by that time. That would mean pumping up investment in renewables, which the International Energy Agency (IEA) says hit $600 billion globally last year, at a time some investors are retreating due to higher borrowing costs. But the problems extend far beyond that. Across the renewables industry, there are signs of strain. Supplies are short of everything from wind turbines to transformers. There is a labour shortage. The cost of wind and solar projects has spiralled up. And local opposition to big energy projects has slowed layered bureaucracy with years-long processes to get permits. As world leaders envision a challenging COP28 plan to triple renewables, FRANCE 24's Shona Bhattacharyya is joined by François Gemenne, Chairman of the FNH Scientific Council, Author, HEC Professor.
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Video by:Shona BHATTACHARYYA
More than 100 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai have agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 - one of the least controversial commitments floated at the conference. But they have given little detail on how they can make an industry running flat out go that much faster. "It is realistic, but there are elements that need to be solved; permitting, leases, grid connections," Anders Opedal, chief executive of Norway's Equinor, a major renewable energy developer, told Reuters. Renewable energy is key to meeting the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming. And while renewables are already expanding fast, this latest goal would require solar and wind power deployments to speed up a lot. The tripling target would bring global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts (GW) in just six years - more than 20% higher than current projections from BloombergNEF of around 9,000 GW by that time. That would mean pumping up investment in renewables, which the International Energy Agency (IEA) says hit $600 billion globally last year, at a time some investors are retreating due to higher borrowing costs. But the problems extend far beyond that. Across the renewables industry, there are signs of strain. Supplies are short of everything from wind turbines to transformers. There is a labour shortage. The cost of wind and solar projects has spiralled up. And local opposition to big energy projects has slowed layered bureaucracy with years-long processes to get permits. As world leaders envision a challenging COP28 plan to triple renewables, FRANCE 24's Shona Bhattacharyya is joined by François Gemenne, Chairman of the FNH Scientific Council, Author, HEC Professor.
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