Cop28’s watered down draft text criticised for omitting fossil fuel ‘phase out’

A draft of a potential climate deal was presented at the Cop28 summit on Monday. This draft proposed a variety of measures that countries could adopt to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. However, it failed to include the 'phase out' of fossil fuels, a demand that many nations have made.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated that the success of Cop28 would be determined by whether it resulted in an agreement to phase out the use of coal, oil, and gas swiftly enough to prevent catastrophic climate change. He clarified that this does not imply that all countries must phase out fossil fuels simultaneously. The Dubai summit, where he made these remarks, is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, but it may extend if the negotiations are prolonged.

The United Arab Emirates, which presides over the summit, published a new draft of a Cop28 agreement. This draft proposed several options but did not mention a 'phase out' of all fossil fuels, a provision that was included in a previous draft. The draft deal outlined eight options that countries 'could' employ to reduce emissions. These included reducing both the consumption and production of fossil fuels in a just, orderly, and equitable manner with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by, before, or around 2050.