Historic agreement calls for 'transitioning away from fossil fuels'

On Wednesday, countries unanimously adopted the first historic climate agreement calling for a "transition" towards gradually phasing out fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, responsible for global warming.

The text, resulting from lengthy negotiations during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai, was approved unanimously without any objections from approximately two hundred participating countries during the conference's concluding session.

At the opening of the general session, delegates adopted the agreement prepared by the United Arab Emirates, greeted with enthusiastic applause. The Emirati conference president, Sultan Al-Jaber, described it as a "historic decision to accelerate climate action... We have a formulation regarding fossil fuels in the final agreement for the first time."

The president of Adnoc, the giant Emirati oil company, added, "We should be proud of this historic achievement, and the United Arab Emirates, my country, is proud of the role it played in reaching this agreement."

Before the session, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, stated, "For the first time in 30 years, we can now approach the beginning of the end of fossil fuels. We are taking a significant, important step to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius."

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the era of fossil fuels "must end, and it must end with justice and fairness." He said that not all countries can quickly phase out fossil fuels.

In addition, the head of the Saudi delegation, Albara Tawfiq, welcomed the Dubai agreement and its "successful outcomes, confirming the diversity of paths and approaches in line with the circumstances and priorities of each country for achieving sustainable development."

Speaking on behalf of the Arab group, he emphasized the importance of "enhancing adaptation capabilities and mitigating the impact of climate change within the scope of the 1.5-degree goal." Still, he conditioned this adaptation on advanced countries providing "financial and technical support" to developing countries to achieve "sustainable development and poverty eradication."

In the 21-page agreement, paragraph 28 out of 196 calls for a "transition towards phasing out fossil fuels in energy systems, in a fair, organized, and equitable manner, by accelerating action in this crucial decade, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as recommended by science."

Therefore, the transition pertains to energy, not other sectors like petrochemicals. However, the call to act in this crucial decade was a specific demand, especially from the European Union.

The agreement does not mention the phrase "gradual phase-out" of oil, gas, and coal, and demanded by over a hundred countries and thousands of climate activists.

US special climate envoy John Kerry said the Dubai agreement "calls for optimism" in a world "in turmoil" plagued by wars.

France praised the "victory of diversity and climate diplomacy," according to Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher in Dubai, who welcomed the inclusion of nuclear energy for the first time in the Dubai agreement.

China and its climate envoy Xie Zhenhua, who entered the general session with raised thumbs, considered two essential elements in recent days for bridging positions.

AFP