(Dubai, United Arab Emirates) The COP28 presidency has reached a compromise for “a transition away from fossil fuels” leading the world to carbon neutrality in 2050, indicates the draft agreement published this Wednesday morning (Tuesday evening, time from Montreal).
Dropping the conditional wording which had sparked a wave of criticism, the text “calls on the parties to contribute to the global efforts” listed, in particular for the renunciation of all forms of fossil fuels in energy systems in accordance with scientific data, a historic first in a climate agreement.
In UN jargon, “call” is a form of request, but “it is the weakest term” to formulate it, reacted Leo Hickman, editor and director of the specialized site Carbon Brief, on the social network X.
The draft agreement also calls on countries to “accelerate efforts to phase out coal-fired electricity without mitigation.” [unabated] “, to triple the production capacity of renewable energies globally and to double the average annual rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.
The president of the conference, Sultan Al Jaber, said Tuesday evening that he was “determined to present a version of the text which has the support of all parties”, announcing a second night of negotiations at COP28, which was initially scheduled to end on Tuesday Morning.
This new draft agreement must be submitted for official approval to the countries meeting in Dubai in the morning (during the night, Quebec time).