DUBAI: The UAE Consensus or the Global Stocktake deal at the conclusion of COP28 was adopted unanimously; and it calls for the end of the use of fossil fuels, ironically in a summit hosted in the oil-rich Arab peninsula.
Nearly 200 countries adopted the deal that called for a “transition away from fossil fuels”. COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber gavelled through the “historic” agreement. This was for the first time that there was a “language on fossil fuels in the final agreement”, he said in his speech.
The final draft of the COP28 deal appeals nations to adopt a path which leads to “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net-zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”.
Accelerate phasedown
The UAE consensus also urged countries to accelerate efforts toward the phasedown of unabated coal power, which is a climb-down after India and China strongly resisted the singling out of coal.
Opinion is divided over whether the outcome of the first Global Stocktake must be lauded as “the beginning of the end of fossil fuels”, or it is otherwise.
European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra said, “This COP will mark the beginning of the end of fossil fuels. The text we have in front of us sets in motion an irreversible, and accelerated transition away from fossil fuels.”
Now, “whether this is a turning point that truly marks the beginning of the end of the fossil-fuel era depends on the actions that come next and the mobilisation of finance required to achieve them,” former US Vice President and climate activist Al Gore posted on X.
Recognition of need
Meanwhile, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, also noted that for the first time, “there is a recognition of the need to transition away from fossil fuels – after many years in which the discussion of this issue was blocked.
Many climate activists also suggest that COP28 failed to hold the developed world accountable for lack of action and ambition, and consequently the world is still way off from the targets. All eyes are now on COP29 which is set to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, next year.
