After bringing fossil fuels beneath the worldwide highlight for the primary time, COP28 has fallen in need of delivering an pressing name for its phase-out or phase-down in the penultimate draft textual content of the first-ever Global Stocktake launched late on Monday. The subject has rocked the local weather talks on the UN local weather summit with practically half of the international locations demanding a robust language on fossil fuels.
The Small Island Nations and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) expressed their issues over the brand new draft, terming it as a ‘watered-down’ model of the earlier one launched on Friday. This is the fourth time the draft has been revised. A deal on the phase-out of all fossil fuels (abated/unabated) was anticipated to be a key final result of the summit, which comes at an important time when the world has already warmed by over 1.1℃.
“The language on fossil fuels is weak and completely insufficient. It does not refer to a phase-out at all. Any text that compromises 1.5℃ will be rejected,” stated Cedric Schuster, Environment Minister of Samoa, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States.
“We came here to fight for 1.5 and for the only way to achieve that: a fossil fuel phase-out. What we have seen today is unacceptable. We will not accept an outcome that will lead to devastation for our country, and for millions if not billions of the most vulnerable people and communities,” stated John Silk, Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce, Republic of Marshall Islands.
The textual content is prone to bear one other spherical of negotiations with pushbacks anticipated from a number of international locations together with the European Union (EU), which demanded robust language on fossil fuels. European Union Environment Minister Eamon Ryan stated the EU would stroll from the local weather talks if the draft COP28 deal just isn’t modified.
The 21-page textual content is a part of the first-ever Global Stocktake and is anticipated to information the subsequent part of local weather motion for all international locations. While the textual content acknowledges the necessity for deep, speedy, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gasoline (GHG) emissions, it falls in need of giving clear instructions to fulfill their local weather targets.
SINGLES OUT COAL YET AGAIN, FOCUS ON CCUS
The textual content reveals no urgency to scale back the burning of gasoline and oil used largely by the developed international locations, however singles out coal but once more, and calls upon international locations to quickly part down unabated coal and put limitations on allowing new and unabated coal energy era. Unabated coal utilization refers back to the absence of any experimental applied sciences like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS). This is prone to be contested by international locations in the Global South particularly India which relies upon on coal to fulfill the rising vitality wants of its 1.3 billion inhabitants.
“The updated Global Stocktake text furthers the differential treatment meted to the developing south and the developed world. Fossil fuels have to be only ‘reduced’ in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, while unabated coal has to be ‘rapidly’ phased down and there need to be limitations on new and unabated coal power generation. There is no need for a just and orderly transition for coal,” stated Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Fellow, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
NO HEADY PROGRESS ON ADAPTATION FINANCE
The textual content additionally fails to make any vital progress on local weather finance by not holding developed international locations accountable for assembly their pending finance commitments. A transparent definition of local weather finance remains to be awaited in addition to a roadmap for adaptation finance.
“Adaptation has been largely neglected at COP28 so far, but it had the chance to make the course correction with the Global Stocktake text. Instead, the call for a roadmap for delivering in the doubling of adaptation finance has been taken out,” stated Alex Scott, Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics Programme Lead at E3G.
According to consultants, the draft textual content fails to ship a robust, bold local weather motion resting on phrases like “could”, as an alternative of “must”, as a number of international locations haven’t upheld even the voluntary commitments. “The text lacks punch and decisiveness. It refers to large energy transformation moves like tripling of renewable energy and doubling of energy efficiency, inter alia, along with expanding nuclear and carbon capture, both of which have proven to be un-scalable, risky, and not the preferred choice. By including everything, the outcome could mean less,” stated Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends.
This is the fourth draft of the Global Stocktake textual content and is prone to undergo one other spherical of revision on the ultimate day of the two-week-long convention. The negotiators are racing in opposition to time to realize consensus on crucial local weather points. “We have made progress, but we still have a lot to do. I want you to deliver the highest ambition on all agenda items, including on fossil fuel language,” stated COP28 President Dr Sultan Al-Jaber.
