The latest COP28 draft outcome text released to negotiators in Dubai Monday evening dropped a call to phaseout fossil fuels, prompting outcry from climate-vulnerable countries and civil society.
The 21-page text, prepared by the COP28 presidency, United Arab Emirates, makes no mention of fossil fuel phasedown or phaseout, which UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said earlier on Monday was one of the keys to the conferences success and which many nations have demanded.
Rather, the draft text called for countries to reduce consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.
The United States, European Union countries, and a group of small island developing States joined a chorus of civil society groups denouncing the draft as not going far enough to curb global warming.
This is not the final text though, and negotiations on compromise language are expected to continue all day Tuesday, the scheduled closing day for COP28.
Expect a waiting game as delegates wrangle over a new text thats more than a list of things countries could do.
Activists and some countries are demanding stronger language that better reflects the true urgency of tackling the climate crisis.
Heres a look at some of the (largely voluntary) measures that made it into the current draft and whats out:
Whats in:
Tripling global capacity of renewable energy by 2030 [the US and China pledged to work together towards this goal in a deal struck between the worlds two biggest emitters in the run-up to COP28];
The rapid phasedown of unabated coal and curtailing the number of new licenses; and
Zero and low emissions technologies, including removal technologies such as carbon capture, and utilization and storage.
Whats out:
The phaseout of fossil fuels;
The words oil and natural gas do not appear.
Gone completely
Harjeet Singh, Head of Global Political Strategy at Climate Action Network International, told UN News that he was expecting the new text to be much stronger, but the language on phaseout of fossil fuels is now completely gone As civil society we reject the text.
There will be negotiation on this text, continued Singh. Lets see how countries respond.
Singh said that over the two weeks the conference had been meeting in the UAE, there had clearly been pressure from the outside coming from the fossil fuel industry. We have seen OPEC issuing a letter; how [oil-producing countries] are completely against any language on fossil fuel phaseout; how rich countries are only grandstanding.
Its going to be a long night, he said.
Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Samoas Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and the chair of the Alliance of Small Island States told UN News: The [text] does not reflect what we came here for, especially the language on phaseout of fossil fuel. It doesnt reflect the 1.5 degree [goal] that we need to stay alive.
Blinking back tears, Sharon-Mona Ainuu told UN News that after having come so far and spending so much money to get to Dubai money we dont have she was heartbroken to see that the text is so against what we believe in and doesnt reflect the position of peoples from the South Pacific.
We are the most vulnerable people, said Ainuu, who is the Minister of Natural Resources of the small island nation of Niue.
Our islands are submerged; our islands are sinking Others must think of us. Its a moral obligation as humans to do good for others.
