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Over 200 countries pledged to phase out fossil fuels during historic U.N. climate meetings in Dubai. The pact is the first such commitment in decades, but it has big difficulties.
COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber attends the opening session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
COP28 Climate Deal Stronger, No Oil Phase-Out
COP28 is stronger than a previous draft but does not phase out oil, gas, and coal, giving governments options. To promote climate action, Sultan al-Jaber quickly approved the historical document.
Rapid acceptance upset Anne Rasmussen’s little island countries, who believed course correction would reverse development. Marshall Islands delegates wept and celebrated. Outside the session, small island states, Europe, and Colombia questioned the deal’s consequences and urged more ambition.
US Special Envoy John Kerry noted the document’s global elements encourage collaboration. In a historic move, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a fair farewell to fossil fuels.
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‘Lifeline,’ But Fossil Fuel Fouling
UN Climate Secretary Simon Stiell called the initiatives a “climate action lifeline, not a finish line,” seeking to eliminate fossil fuels. He praised the Wednesday pact’s advances over a prior draft but raised reservations.
The flawed COP28 climate accord benefits fossil fuel companies. Over 100 countries want a “phase-out,” but the pact prioritizes transition. The strategy calls for quadrupling efficiency and renewable energy, net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and a 2025 carbon pollution peak.
Some say “phase-out” and “transitioning away” are the same, while others worry about the deal’s vagueness and lack of “oil.” Climate campaigner Al Gore calls the historic pact a “bare minimum” with “half measures and loopholes.”
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