Countries finally make ‘historic’ agreement during climate talks

The agreement has been criticised by some nations for containing 'loopholes'.

Countries at the COP28 summit have agreed to ‘transition away’ from using fossil fuels after days of negotiations.

The deal calls on countries to move away from the use of fossil fuels but not phase them out, something 100 governments worldwide wanted.

COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber said the delegates have gone down ‘a long road in a short amount of time’ and ‘set the world in the right direction’.

But small island states impacted by rising sea levels hit out at the agreement and said there are too many loopholes.

The island nation of Samoa was ‘not in the room’ when the deal was approved.

It comes after language was strengthened because it originally suggested countries ‘could’ reduce fossil fuels.

Countries reliant on fossil fuels also want to see greater funding for energy transitions.

The summit was held in Dubai, UAE, and there was skepticism about the host country’s commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels because it is a major oil exporter.

Opec, which represents oil-producing nations, sent around a letter to its members urging them to reject language that would commit them to a ‘phase-out’ of fossil fuels.

Saudi Arabia is one of the country’s that has fought hardest against fossil fuel phase out because of fears over the future of its oil-based economy.

The EU, UK and US committed to limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Following the agreement of the deal UN secretary general António Guterres tweeted: ‘Whether you like it or not, fossil fuel phase-out is inevitable. Let’s hope it doesn’t come too late.’

Simon Stiell the UN’s climate chief said the COP28 deal is the ‘beginning of the end’ for fossil fuels.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, said: ‘For the first time in three decades of climate negotiations the words fossil fuels have made it into a Cop outcome.

‘We are finally naming the elephant in the room. The genie is never going back into the bottle and future Cops will only turn the screws even more on dirty energy.’

Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee Philip Dunne praised COP28 delegates for decarbonising the world economy.

He said: ‘The penny has dropped at Cop and all nations have agreed to move away from fossil fuels and to phase down the use of unabated coal power.

‘While it’s disappointing there was not agreement to phase out fossil fuels, the final agreement recognises that the days of oil, gas and coal powering global economies are numbered. The world has agreed to transition to a decarbonised global economy.

‘As the Committee made clear in its report on accelerating the transition from fossil fuels, the UK must approach the low-carbon future with enthusiasm and unwavering commitment.

‘By switching off fossil fuels at the current time we risk energy instability, so every effort must now be made to find reliable low-carbon energy and effective energy storage to keep the lights on throughout the year.

‘This is critical for the UK to do its part in keeping global temperatures below 1.5°C.’

But ActionAid warned the agreement could collapse without significant funding.

Zahra Hdidou, from ActionAid UK said: ‘We are relieved to see world leaders overcome their differences to reach an historic agreement on fossil fuels. While the agreement is not an even-handed one for climate-stricken countries, the importance of this moment cannot be overstated.

‘After decades of fighting to push for a transition away from fossil fuels at Cop, the agreement reached in Dubai is an important first step to be built upon.

‘But we should remain cautious: commitments made today will fall like a house of cards without the cash needed from major polluters to fund it and while the UK begins ‘maxing out’ its North Sea oil and gas reserves.

‘As the summit ends, we should not forget that this moment was made possible by the UK and other major polluters finally listening to the voices of those on the frontlines of climate catastrophe.

‘After decades of ignoring its historic responsibility as a major polluter, today is a big step forward but not the only one it needs to take.

‘For their words to ring true, it must continue to listen to climate-affected countries and rapidly increase the finance needed to move away from fossil fuels forever.’

Greenpeace International said it wants to see an equitable transition away from fossil fuels following the agreement.

The tripling of renewable energy by 2030 was also agreed, which some NGOs said is a signal to the end of the use of fossil fuels.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal of the WWF conservation group added: ‘The Earth is down but not out, as countries agree to transition away from fossil fuels, but fall short of consensus on the full phase-out of coal, oil and gas at Cop28.

‘Nevertheless, a decision to transition away from fossil fuels is a significant moment. After three decades of UN climate negotiations, countries have at last shifted the focus to the polluting fossil fuels driving the climate crisis.

‘This outcome must signal the beginning of the end for the fossil fuel era.’

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