COP28 reaches landmark deal to transition away from fossil fuels
The UAE summit president applauded the historic agreement, while small island nations criticized the plan as falling short
Nearly 200 countries approved a historic deal to transition away from fossil fuels. The first-of-its-kind agreement was reached in Dubai at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP28). But, the small island nations most affected by the planetary crisis are saying it’s not enough.
"You did step up, you showed flexibility, you put common interest ahead of self-interest," said COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, who heads the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national oil company which had raised suspicion among many environmentalists.
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The United Arab Emirates, he said, was "rightly proud" of its role in bringing "transformational change" to the planet, referring to a goal of limiting warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius).
The final agreement called for "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science."
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"For the first time in 30 years, we might now reach the beginning of the end of fossil fuels," EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said before heading into the plenary session, in reference to the first mention of all fossil fuels in 28 years of climate summits.
The text, however, stopped short of calls during the summit for a "phase-out" of oil, gas and coal, which together account for around three-quarters of the emissions responsible for the planetary crisis.
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"We have made an incremental advancement over business as usual when what we really needed is an exponential step change in our actions," said Samoan chief negotiator Anne Rasmussen, whose country chairs the Alliance of Small Island States.
Low-lying islands fear extinction from rising sea levels and worsening storms, with the Marshall Islands denouncing the earlier draft as a "death warrant.”
"I think that everybody here should be pleased that in a world of Ukraine and the Middle East war and all the other challenges of a planet that is floundering," U.S. envoy John Kerry said, there is "cause for optimism, cause for gratitude and cause for some significant congratulations to everybody here."