According to Reuters on December 13, representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the 13th to start reducing global fossil fuel consumption to avoid the worst of climate change. It was the first agreement of its kind to mark the final end of the oil era.
The deal, which was reached in Dubai after two weeks of grueling negotiations, is intended to send a strong signal to investors and policymakers that the world is united in its desire to break with fossil fuels, which scientists say is the last hope to avert a climate catastrophe.
COP28 President Sultan Jaber called the agreement "historic". But he added that the real success will lie in its implementation. "We must take the necessary steps to translate this agreement into concrete action. ”
Some countries welcomed the agreement as it accomplished goals that had been difficult to achieve in decades of climate negotiations.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barter Eide said: "This is the first time the world has rallied around such a clear text that we need to make the transition to fossil fuel-free. ”
More than 100 countries lobbied heavily to "phase out" the use of oil, gas and coal in the COP28 agreement, but the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, has met with strong opposition. The organization believes that the world can cut emissions without eschewing specific fuels.
The feud extended the summit for a full day, and some observers fear that the talks will end in an impasse.
At the same time, small island states vulnerable to climate change are among the strongest proponents of phasing out fossil fuels, supported by the United States, Canada, the European Union and dozens of other countries**.
This is the moment when multilateralism really comes together, where individual interests are taken into account and the common good is being tried to be defined. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said after the agreement was adopted.
The agreement calls for "a just, orderly and equitable manner to reduce the use of fossil fuels from the energy system......to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050".
The agreement also calls for tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, accelerating efforts to reduce coal use, and accelerating the development of technologies such as carbon capture and storage that can clean up hard-to-decarbonize industries.