The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has stated that the success of the Dubai climate summit (COP28) inevitably involves reaching an agreement that puts an end to fossil fuels, although he opened the door for this to be done. at different speeds depending on the needs of each country.
"The COP covers many aspects (...) but a central aspect in my view of success will be that it reaches a consensus on the need to phase out fossil fuels in line with the 1.5 degree limit. That does not mean that everyone countries must do it at the same time," Guterres said in a massive appearance before the press.
"We are in a race against time," thundered UN Secretary General António Guterres, who has asked countries for "good faith" and "maximum flexibility" to avoid great disappointment on Tuesday.
He was very clear: COP28 should call for an “exit from fossil fuels,” but “this does not mean that all countries should exit fossil fuels at the same time.” That is, rich countries must set an example and help the poorest countries finance their solar energy plants or the electrification of their factories.
For his part, the executive secretary of the Exchange Agreement declared that the negotiating teams have the opportunity to “start a new chapter” that “truly benefits people and the planet.” “We don't have a minute to lose in this crucial final stretch,” he added.
“Greater climate ambition means more jobs, a healthier economy, stronger economic growth, less pollution, better health. Much more resilience, protecting the population of all countries from the climate wolves that are at the door,” she commented.
Stiell advocated for “secure and affordable energy” through a renewable energy revolution that leaves no country or community behind, and instead leaves behind our dependence on fossil fuels.”
“We need to eliminate unnecessary tactical blockages, and there have been many along this path. The global balance must help all countries get out of this mess. Any strategic mine that explodes for one, explodes for all. The world is watching, as are 4,000 members of the international media and thousands of observers, here in Dubai. There is nowhere to hide,” he noted.
“One thing is certain: ‘I win, you lose’ is a recipe for collective failure. Ultimately, what is at stake now is the safety of 8 billion people. Science is the backbone of the Paris Agreement, especially when it comes to global temperature targets and the 1.5 degree planetary limit. That center must be maintained,” he concluded.
NGOs are eager for a successful outcome from the COP and for the conference to be remembered with pride,” explained Teresa Anderson of ActionAid International.
On Monday at noon in Dubai (where a three-hour time difference applies) the new draft agreement, which was expected at dawn, had not yet been published, which made evident the fatigue among the thousands of participants in COP28.
“We are still waiting for the text,” said the head of a large block of countries at the beginning of the morning, disappointed at not yet having new options to comment on.
This new document will begin an intense series of negotiations, before a plenary session at 6 p.m., but one or two sleepless nights are not ruled out. In 28 years, COPs have rarely ended on time.
COP President Sultan Al Jaber, head of the national oil company, promised a "historic" agreement starting December 12, the anniversary of the Paris agreement, in order to meet the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 °C. , seriously threatened. "It's my north star." He often repeats.
"Everyone needs to be flexible," he said Sunday. "We need to move much, much, much faster."
The new text scheduled for Monday, probably peppered with different options or formulations, will test his ability to reach a compromise in the final hours, as the negotiation is established under his leadership.
China and its emissary Xie Zhenhua, a COP veteran and close to the American John Kerry, are in all the conversations.
The joint Sunnylands declaration signed in November by China and the United States could serve as the basis for a possible agreement at COP28. The two main global emitters of greenhouse gases (41% between them) avoided talking about "exiting" fossil fuels, but indicated that renewable energies (solar, wind) should gradually replace fossil energies.
The sides hope that the new text will put new ideas on the table, explains a source close to the COP presidency.
Increasingly isolated, Saudi Arabia, the main oil exporter, and Iraq and some OPEC allies maintain their positions hostile to any exit or reduction of fossil fuels, brandishing the threat of a disruption of the world economy.
However, from NGOs to negotiators, participants express the same feeling that an agreement has never been so close to signaling the beginning of the end of oil, gas and coal, the burning of which since the 19th century has allowed growth. global economy at the cost of 1.2°C warming.
