Big divisions loom over fossil fuels as COP28 talks head into final phase

As the final round of negotiations at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai began on Sunday, negotiators remained divided on the future role of fossil fuels.

The international summit where over 200 countries are seeking to hammer out a solution to climate change has as its central topic whether the world should, for the first time ever, agree on an ultimate end to the oil age.

A coalition of over 80 nations, including the US, the EU, and small island states, was attempting to negotiate a pact that would “phase out” the use of coal, gas, and oil. However, they faced strong resistance from OPEC and its supporters, an organisation that represents the oil producing industry.

On December 6, OPEC sent a letter to its supporters and members requesting that they reject any mention of fossil fuels in any agreement at COP28. Negotiators told Reuters that those delegations seemed to be listening to the request.

Heading Poland’s COP28 delegation, Deputy Minister for Climate Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński said, “I think there are still quite entrenched positions.”

“In terms of the time allotted for negotiations, we are almost done. However, we are still working on the final product.”

Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC and its largest producer, has argued, along with Russia and others, that the COP28 should be focused on decreasing emissions rather than addressing the fuel sources that contribute to them.

Xie Zhenhua, China’s top climate envoy, stated on Saturday that a settlement at COP28 can only be deemed successful if it includes a fossil fuel agreement. However, he did not specify whether Beijing would support a deal that would “phase out” fossil fuels.

The hardest climate summit of his career, he claimed, was COP28.

According to the most recent draft of the negotiation language, which was made public on Friday, nations were still debating between committing to “phase out of fossil fuels in line with best available science,” “unabated fossil fuels,” and making no reference at all.

Reducing the climatic impact of fossil fuels usually entails either utilising alternative offsets or capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions.

Many nations have committed to achieving goals include tripling the use of nuclear power and renewable energy, reducing the use of coal, and reducing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), if these commitments are kept, global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 4 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. This information was released on Sunday.

The IEA stated that although the amount is significant, it only accounts for roughly one-third of the emissions gap that must be closed in the ensuing six years in order to keep warming to 1.5C over pre-industrial levels, as agreed upon in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

(With agency inputs)