At COP28 in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), the countries of the world approved by consensus, on Wednesday December 13, a final text calling for a “transition” away from fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels are mentioned for the first time in a COP final text. To date, only the “reduction” of coal had been agreed at COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland), but neither oil nor gas had ever been mentioned.
After intense negotiations, the final document calls on countries to “transition energy systems away from fossil fuels in a fair, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this crucial decade to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in line with scientific recommendations”.
By choosing the term “transitioning away”, the text no longer mentions a “phase out” of oil, gas and coal, a term which for months had become the banner behind which more than a hundred countries and thousands of NGOs lined up. “This text is a step towards phasing out fossil fuels, but it is not the historic decision we had hoped for”, reacted Andreas Sieber.
Beyond this invitation to move away from fossil fuels, the text contains several energy-related calls: to triple renewable energy capacity, to double the pace of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and to accelerate “zero-carbon” and “low-carbon” technologies, including nuclear power and low-carbon hydrogen.
If you want to know more about the COP28, you can read this article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/cop28-summit-summary-deal-key-points-b2462598.html
But in your opinion, was the COP a success?
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It’s a positive sign that fossil fuels were mentioned for the first time at COP28. However, I believe that the true success of the COP will be seen in the future. The success will depend on whether they follow through on the promises they’ve made in the agreement over the next few years.