Hopes for a comprehensive agreement to cease fossil fuels diminished on Monday in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates as organizers of the U.N. climate summit unveiled a draft proposal suggesting a mere reduction instead.
This development falls significantly below the expectations set by environmental groups, the U.S., the European Union, and vulnerable island nations before the COP28 summit in Dubai. Some activists argue that the talks would be deemed a failure if they do not explicitly call for the gradual elimination of coal, oil, and natural gas production.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry expressed dissatisfaction with the draft, stating it “really doesn’t meet the expectations of this COP in terms of the urgently needed transition to clean sources of energy and the phaseout of fossil fuels.” This sentiment was voiced during a contentious closed-door meeting late Monday night and early Tuesday, which POLITICO had access to through an unsanctioned feed.
However, representatives of certain countries, including a bloc that includes China and India, rejected any language suggesting a “phaseout” or “phase-down” of specific energy sources. a comprehensive agreement
Negotiations at the Expo City campus on Dubai’s outskirts were anticipated to extend into the early hours of Tuesday, the scheduled final day of the summit. Earlier that evening, summit president Sultan al-Jaber called on the nearly 200 assembled governments to be flexible and reach an agreement. Al-Jaber, who is also the CEO of the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company, emphasized that the “world is watching” after almost two weeks of discussions.