Why do some developing countries appear to be resisting a fossil fuel phase-out? The answer is fundamentally about implementation – how countries struggling to eradicate poverty and provide basic services (including energy) for their people fund the transition away from fossil fuels.
The “means of implementation” has become a sticking point at the talks, with developing countries united in demanding that developed countries honour their legally binding obligations under the Paris agreement. Developing countries that have contributed so little to the climate crisis but are suffering the worst impacts argue that a phase-out must be centred around equity, which means it must be “fast, fair, funded and forever”.
