(Montreal) Canada’s Environment Minister describes as “monumental” the agreement reached Wednesday at the end of the United Nations climate summit, which agreed for the first time to “move away” from fossil fuels in energy systems.
The agreement approved by the nearly 200 participating countries was hailed by some observers as a historic turning point in these global climate negotiations – and a firmer compromise than the proposal put forward earlier this week in Dubai.
Many have warned of what they say are flaws and distractions in the deal. Gaps that could ultimately undermine the action needed to meet the global commitment to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
Minister Steven Guilbeault said Wednesday that Canada played a “leading role in consolidating the agreement” at COP28. “The text contains decisive commitments in terms of renewable energy, energy efficiency and the transition away from fossil fuels,” he wrote on the X platform.
“This result is monumental […] COP28 set the tone for the coming years as we continue our efforts to combat the climate crisis. »
Minutes after Wednesday’s session opened in Dubai, COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber gave his approval to the central document – an assessment of the gap between targets and reality around the world, and how to correct the situation – without giving critics the opportunity to comment. The chief negotiator for a coalition of small island countries said his group was not in the room when the Emirati president of COP28 claimed the deal was done.
The 21-page agreement calls on signatory countries to abandon fossil fuels in their energy systems “by accelerating action during this critical decade”, in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
“Several shortcomings”
Liz McDowell, senior campaigns director at environmental group Stand. earth, however, believes that the agreement is weakened by “dangerous distractions”. She emphasizes in particular that this compromise leaves the door open to so-called “transition fuels”, such as natural gas, and that it does not commit rich countries to financing this energy transition.
“Back home, we are determined to hold the Canadian government accountable for the commitments it has made here in Dubai to move our economy away from fossil fuels,” said Ms.me McDowell in a statement.
The Canadian government made several announcements during this two-week summit. Ottawa thus unveiled its emissions cap for the oil and gas industry, and its regulatory project aimed at considerably reducing methane emissions from this sector.
Wednesday’s agreement went further than a draft agreement which caused an outcry at the start of the week at COP28. This proposal prepared by the presidency of this COP made no mention of a reduction or gradual elimination of fossil fuels, instead calling on countries to reduce the consumption and production of fossil fuels “in a fair, orderly and fair “.
Catherine Abreu, a leading voice in Canadian climate policy circles, said Wednesday’s agreement marked “an extraordinary turning point” for negotiations that for 30 years had focused on emissions, but not their cause. .
Two years ago, the draft agreement resulting from the Glasgow summit was the first to mention the use of fossil fuels, but limited it to coal. The Dubai agreement therefore constitutes the first negotiated text covering all fossil fuels, after the failure of a similar attempt at last year’s summit in Egypt.
Butme Abreu also highlighted what she called some of the deal’s shortcomings, such as only calling for a phase-out of “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies.
“We will ensure that the countries most responsible for the climate crisis, like Canada, which have benefited the most from the destruction of our atmosphere through the production of fossil fuels, pay for the energy transition,” wrote in a press release Mme Abreu, director of Destination Zero, a nonprofit that works for climate justice and transitions to renewable energy.
Danielle Smith reassured
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, one of only two Canadian provincial leaders attending the negotiations, said Wednesday she was encouraged by the success of Alberta and Saskatchewan in fending off “the voices of those who were obsessed” with phasing out oil and natural gas. She claimed the “extreme position” had been rejected at the conference.
The document agreed on Wednesday forms a central part of the 2015 Paris agreement, which requires countries to periodically assess their commitments to limit warming to the threshold of 1.5 degrees, to avoid some of the most catastrophic impacts of the change climatic. The Dubai summit marked the end of the first “global stocktaking” process provided for by the Paris Agreement.
So far, the planet has warmed about 1.2 degrees since the mid-1800s and scientists expect this year to be the warmest on record.
The global report highlights that countries are far from being on track to reduce their emissions in line with the target. Under current national commitments, global greenhouse gas emissions are expected to decrease by 2% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. In an attempt to reach the 1.5 degree target, the agreement recognizes that “deep, rapid and sustainable” reductions in global emissions of 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 must be adopted.
To accelerate this transition, the agreement plans to triple renewable energy capacity and double the annual energy efficiency rate by 2030.
with information from the Associated Press