The COP28 draft agreement eliminates the "elimination" of fossil fuels and is rejected by the EU and environmentalists

BERLIN, 11 (Ep/Dpa)

A new draft for the final declaration of the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), which in principle ends this Tuesday in Dubai, no longer includes mention of a gradual "elimination" of coal, oil and gas.

The 21-page document, published this Monday, only mentions a reduction in the consumption and production of fossil fuels. In a previous version, phasing was still mentioned as one of several options.

The EU's chief negotiator, Wopke Hoekstra, has rejected the draft, which he considers "clearly insufficient and not adequate to address the problem."

He also recalled that scientists are "very clear" about what is needed to address climate change. "The phasing out of fossil fuels is one of the priorities of the European Union's agenda," he stated, underlining that there is a direct link between phasing out and the goal of "getting the Earth and people out of danger." .

"We simply cannot accept it," he added to ensure that the delegation will negotiate for as long as necessary.

Environmental organizations have reacted with disappointment. Jan Kowalzig, a climate expert at Oxfam, has described the text as "very weak wording" that moves away from fossil fuels.

Furthermore, other objectives such as tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency are not mentioned as objectives, but only as a possible measure. "COP28 should not end like this," said Kowalzig.

In this sense, he has warned that the 1.5 degree goal established by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement will probably be thrown out the window with this draft. "Despite assurances to the contrary elsewhere in the text," Kowalzig added. Kowalzig has urged the EU not to support this declaration and has warned that developing countries and their allies must demand significant improvements.

WWF's global head of climate and energy policies, Fernanda Carvalho, has also described the new draft as "disastrous", "much less ambitious than the last version". "It's disappointing. It doesn't signal the fundamental course correction we need to see in this process. It presents a variety of energy options, but none to phase out fossil fuels," she warned.

Carvalho regrets that most of these options invite the continued use of coal, oil and gas or suggest that nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage could be considered solutions. "If this text on the phasing out of fossil fuels is not significantly strengthened in the coming hours, we face the prospect of a very weak COP28 outcome, and a worsening of the climate crisis," he warned.

Along the same lines, Greenpeace has warned that the elimination of fossil fuels is a "red line" that cannot be optional. "In general, this text does not add a signal about the end of fossil fuels," laments the organization.

THE COP28 PRESIDENCY INSISTS: "THE GREATEST AMBITION"

Although the document has been proposed by the COP28 presidency, its head, the Sultan of the United Arab Emirates, Al Jaber, has called for "the greatest possible ambition" in the fossil fuel agreement. "You know that I want you to have the highest ambition on all issues, including the language on fossil fuels. If I can help, my door remains open to all of you. I have already demonstrated what a different mindset and a flexible approach can offer," he assured in a statement.

Likewise, he has asked to work "much faster" and "much more intelligently." "We have no choice but to work together. We must work collaboratively and we must work together," she stressed.

In this sense, the COP28 presidency has highlighted the "need" to resolve the "most difficult" issues that "remain pending." "I need all parties to show even more flexibility to reach the goal. The world is watching. Let's not rest until we achieve this," he said, adding that there is still "a lot to do."

According to Bloomberg, if this draft is adopted it would be the first agreement at a COP that specifically calls for the reduction of the use of all fossil fuels, including oil and gas. However, for many countries this measure does not go far enough, does not represent a complete elimination and offers nations loopholes and opt-out options.

Although a broad coalition of countries supports phasing out fossil fuels, neither Saudi Arabia nor other oil states do so. In addition, the draft also calls for the reduction in fossil fuel use to be "fair" and "orderly", adjectives designed to appease more cautious countries.

"This is the first COP where the word 'fossil fuels' is actually included in the draft decision," said Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa. "This is the beginning of the end of the fuel era." fossils".

Although the mention of all fossil fuels for the first time has received praise, other countries that call for going further warn that consensus is far away. "The Republic of the Marshall Islands did not come here to sign our death warrant," said John Silk, head of the Marshall Islands delegation.

Negotiators at the conference, attended by some 97,000 participants, spent the weekend arguing over the final text.

Before this document was released, UN Secretary General António Guterres made an urgent call to CO28 delegates to "end the era of fossil fuels." "I have returned to COP28 because we are on the brink of climate disaster and this conference must mark a turning point," Guterres said on X, formerly Twitter. "I am here to renew my urgent call to leaders: recommit to the limit." heating of 1.5 °C".

The most contentious issue since the conference began two weeks ago has been whether the international community can unanimously agree to phase out climate-damaging energy sources such as coal, oil and gas. Several countries have resisted, including Saudi Arabia, but also China, Iraq and Russia.

The two-week negotiations end in principle this Tuesday, but it is common for the final stretch of negotiations to extend beyond what was initially planned, even several days.