COP28: Agreement reached to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels | World News

Countries at the COP28 summit have agreed to ‘transition away’ from using fossil fuels after days of negotiations.

The deal calls on countries to move away from the use of fossil fuels but not phase them out, something 100 governments worldwide wanted.

COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber said the delegates have gone down ‘a long road in a short amount of time’ and ‘set the world in the right direction’.

But small island states impacted by rising sea levels hit out at the agreement and said there are too many loopholes.

The island nation of Samoa was ‘not in the room’ when the deal was approved.

It comes after language was strengthened because it originally suggested countries ‘could’ reduce fossil fuels.

Countries reliant on fossil fuels also want to see greater funding for energy transitions.

The summit was held in Dubai, UAE, and there was skepticism about the host country’s commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels because it is a major oil exporter.

Opec, which represents oil-producing nations, sent around a letter to its members urging them to reject language that would commit them to a ‘phase-out’ of fossil fuels.

The EU, UK and US committed to limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, said: ‘For the first time in three decades of climate negotiations the words fossil fuels have made it into a Cop outcome.

‘We are finally naming the elephant in the room. The genie is never going back into the bottle and future Cops will only turn the screws even more on dirty energy.’

But ActionAid warned the agreement could collapse without significant funding.

Zahra Hdidou, from ActionAid UK said: ‘We are relieved to see world leaders overcome their differences to reach an historic agreement on fossil fuels. While the agreement is not an even-handed one for climate-stricken countries, the importance of this moment cannot be overstated.

‘After decades of fighting to push for a transition away from fossil fuels at Cop, the agreement reached in Dubai is an important first step to be built upon.

‘But we should remain cautious: commitments made today will fall like a house of cards without the cash needed from major polluters to fund it and while the UK begins ‘maxing out’ its North Sea oil and gas reserves.

‘As the summit ends, we should not forget that this moment was made possible by the UK and other major polluters finally listening to the voices of those on the frontlines of climate catastrophe.

‘After decades of ignoring its historic responsibility as a major polluter, today is a big step forward but not the only one it needs to take.

‘For their words to ring true, it must continue to listen to climate-affected countries and rapidly increase the finance needed to move away from fossil fuels forever.’

The tripling of renewable energy by 2030 was also agreed, which some NGOs said is a signal to the end of the use of fossil fuels.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal of the WWF conservation group added: ‘The Earth is down but not out, as countries agree to transition away from fossil fuels, but fall short of consensus on the full phase-out of coal, oil and gas at Cop28.

‘Nevertheless, a decision to transition away from fossil fuels is a significant moment. After three decades of UN climate negotiations, countries have at last shifted the focus to the polluting fossil fuels driving the climate crisis.

‘This outcome must signal the beginning of the end for the fossil fuel era.’

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