Dubai, UAE – A UN climate deal calling for the "transitioning away" from fossil fuels and "accelerated action" this decade was on Wednesday adopted by more than 200 countries at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai.
While the global stocktake (GST) agreement still does not include the explicit phase-out of fossil fuels, it is more far-reaching than a previous draft version that was widely dismissed for its weak language.
The GST marks the first time all fossil fuels have been addressed in the Cop's 28-year history, while aIso calling for a tripling of global renewables by 2030 and the development of "nuclear, abatement and removal technologies" such as carbon capture storage.
"We have delivered a robust action plan to keep 1.5C in reach," summit president Sultan al Jaber said as he gavelled through the agreement, adding that it was a "balanced plan" that had been built on "common ground".
Nuclear 'win'
French Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher hailed the deal as a victory, especially for its endorsement of nuclear power – a source of contention amid worries it will mean an unsafe and inequitable path to global decarbonisation.
"For the first time the text at several points mentions the contribution of nuclear energy in the fight against climate change," Pannier-Runacher said.
"This is an historic recognition and a diplomatic victory for France ... Now we need to put in place a plan to exit fossil fuels and we will be attentive to this."
Hurried compromise
The summit overran by a day, and the draft text put forward overnight Tuesday by the Emirati presidency was a last-minute bid to end a deadlock between crude oil producers, notably Saudi Arabia, and nations seeking a phase-out of oil, coal and gas.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said nations now needed to get on with the job of "putting the Paris agreement to full work", with the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due in early 2025.
"It must bring us into alignment with a 1.5C world. We will keep working to improve the process,” Steill said. “Without these conferences we would be headed for 5 degrees. We’re currently headed for 3 degrees.”
Phase-out taboo
A deal containing the word "phase-out" in reference to fossil fuels had become politically taboo at the summit following strong opposition from Saudi Arabia and other countries, Oil Change International's global policy lead, Romain Ioualalen, told journalists in Dubai.
"But what this text says very clearly is that countries have a collective reposibility to transition away from fossil fuels ... whatever Saudi Arabai thinks and whatever the US – still the largest producer and expender of fossil fuels – thinks."
However Ioualalen warned it still contained major loopholes for oil- and gas-producing countries as well as the fossil fuel industry.
In a post on X, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: "To those who opposed a clear reference to phase-out of fossil fuels ... I want to say: Whether you like it or not, fossil fuel phase out is inevitable. Let’s hope it doesn’t come too late."
Us climate envoy John Kerry applauded the historical reference to fossil fuels in efforts to reach net zero by 2050.
"We would have liked clearer language about the need to begin peaking. We would know this was a compromise between parties,” he said, while also announcing plans with the Chinese delegation for both countries to update their longterm strategies.
'Failures'
The chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, Anne Rasmussen, said her ASIOS group was not in the room when the adoption of the deal was announced to a standing ovation.
“The draft text you have has many strong elements ... We have come to the conclusion that the course correction we have needed has not been secured," she told the summit.
"This process has failed us ... It is not enough to reference the science and then ignore what the science is telling us we should do.”
Meanwhile Bolivia, despite supporting the text, warned that imposing a 2050 timeline "for all" eroded the principles of the Paris Agreement – adding that "no differentiation whatsoever" had been made between developed and developing countries.
"This is neo-colonialism called carbon colonialism," the country's representative, Diego Pacheco, told the summit.
"Bolivia will support the consensus but we register our concerns on equity."
