The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has highlighted that the agreement reached at the Dubai climate summit (COP28) recognizes, for the first time, the need to leave fossil fuels behind, “after many years in which the debate on this issue was blocked”.
The COP28 Global Stock Agreement “clearly” reaffirms the imperative need to stop temperature warming below 1.5ºC and that this requires drastic reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions in this decade, Guterres stressed. after the document was approved in the summit plenary.
He asserted that “science tells us that limiting global warming to 1.5ºC will be impossible without the gradual elimination of all fossil fuels within a time frame consistent with this limit. This has been recognized by a growing and diverse coalition of countries.”
“To those who opposed a clear reference to a phase-out of fossil fuels in the COP28 text, I want to say that, whether you like it or not, it is inevitable. Let’s hope it doesn’t come too late,” he warned.
Although the pace and paths to achieve the transition will differ depending on the level of development of each country, “all efforts must be consistent with achieving the global objective of being net zero emissions in 2050 and preserving the 1.5 degree objective” , he insisted.
On this point, he stressed that developing countries must receive support, to which he added that “the era of fossil fuels must end with justice and equity.”
“The world cannot afford delays, indecision or half-measures. I remain confident that, despite many differences, the world can come together and rise to the challenge of the climate crisis. Multilateralism remains the best hope for humanity,” Guterres concluded.
The executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Simon Stiell, highlighted that the conference marks “the beginning of the end” of the era of fossil fuels.
Stiell made this consideration at the Al Hairat Plenary at Expo City Dubai, where a “transition” in energy use was approved in order to “abandon” fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) in the energy systems of “fair, orderly and equitable” way for the planet to reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted that at COP28 it has also been agreed to “reduce global emissions by 43% by 2030, in line with the best available science, to maintain the goal of 1.5ºC at reach” to continue the path “towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transition towards a cleaner and healthier economy.”
“It is good news for everyone that we now have a multilateral agreement to accelerate emissions reductions towards net zero by 2050, with urgent action in this critical decade. This includes an agreement by all parties to move away from fossil fuels” Von der Leyen said in a statement.
Von der Leyen highlighted that COP28 is a “perfect example” of European cooperation, coordination and leadership. It is also “a powerful demonstration of the value of multilateralism to address our planet’s greatest challenges,” he stressed.
“2023 has been the hottest year on record, so it is appropriate that we also make it the most ambitious year on record for climate action,” he considered, drawing attention to the abnormal fact that “some parts of southern Europe have reached almost 30 degrees Celsius again this week, in mid-December.
For his part, the president of COP28, Sultan al Yaber, welcomed in the plenary session that COP28 has adopted a text on fossil fuels “for the first time in history”. “Many more oil and gas companies for the first time stepped up to meet very ambitious goals,” he said.
“Now we can really say that we came together, that we acted and that we really delivered,” he said, before warning: “An agreement is only as good as its level of execution because we are what we do, not what we say. We must take the necessary steps to turn this agreement into tangible actions. “If we unite in action we can have a very profound and very positive effect for the future.”
Al Yaber highlighted that the Dubai summit has agreed on “an action plan” to meet the objective of not exceeding 1.5 degrees of global warming in areas such as reducing emissions, climate adaptation and financing for vulnerable countries. , while mobilizing more than $83 billion in new financial commitments.
The Spanish Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, celebrated the agreement adopted at COP28 in Dubai, where she highlighted that “more than 30 years have had to pass”, since the Rio summit, to “focus on a world beyond of fossil fuels.”
Three decades have led the planet, he added, to “start a new debate on the financing” of actions against climate change, to raise the bar of adaptation on a cooperative basis, “to respond to the legitimate demands of the most vulnerable so that mechanisms are put in place to address the loss and damage caused by climate change.”
“The world needs to abandon fossil fuels and provide energy security to everyone with other means,” said Ribera, and highlighted that there are elements that Europeans would have liked to see in the text, but there are many others “in which we identify the traces “European.”
For example, the demand to triple energy renewal, double energy efficiency, and work with mitigation technologies – such as carbon capture and storage – only in those sectors that are most difficult to decarbonize.
He also referred to the “guarantee that losses and damages have a response from the international community”, that response that the countries supported at the Sharm el Sheikh summit in November 2022, and that has already been implemented since this summit. on going.
In addition, Ribera highlighted the European commitment to adaptation raising “the bar” and guaranteeing that early warning systems are available to everyone in 2027, as well as to doubling the money allocated to adaptation, and to “go beyond thousands from millions to trillions by ensuring that all financial flows are increasingly climate-proof.”
US Special Envoy John Kerry said: “I am amazed by the spirit of cooperation that has brought everyone together,” while Danish Climate and Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said: “We are here in an oil country. , surrounded by oil-producing countries, and we made the decision to move away from oil and gas.
Anne Rasmussen, representative of Samoa, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, said: “We didn’t want to interrupt the great applause when we entered the room, but we are a little confused about what happened. It seems like decisions are just being made. and small island developing states were not in the room.”
For his part, the delegate of Bangladesh, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, indicated: “We have come to the conclusion that we have not been able to set the right course on what is needed. We have achieved gradual progress with respect to the usual, when it is What we really need is an exponential change in our actions. “Adaptation is really a matter of life and death… We cannot compromise on adaptation; we cannot compromise on lives and livelihoods,” he added.
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said: COP28 reached a historic agreement… It provides opportunities for near-term action and drives a safe, affordable, 1.5°C compliant and clean transition. The text contains innovative commitments on renewable energy, energy efficiency and the transition away from fossil fuels. “.
Senegal’s Climate Minister Madeleine Diouf, speaking on behalf of the bloc of least developed countries, noted that the agreement “reflects the lowest possible ambition that we could accept, rather than assuming what we know based on the best available science, which is that it is necessary to urgently address the climate crisis.”
The agreement “highlights the huge gap between the needs of developing countries and available financing, as well as underlining the rapid decline in fiscal space due to the debt crisis. However, it fails to offer a credible response to this challenge” .
China’s Vice Environment Minister Zhao Yingmin: “Developed countries have unavoidable historical responsibilities regarding climate change.”
Marshall Islands Delegation Head John Silk: “I came here from my home in the islands to work with all of you to solve the biggest challenge of our generation. I came here to build a canoe together for my country. Instead of So we built a canoe with a weak, leaky hull, full of holes, and put it in the water.”
Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva: “We have been working very seriously to achieve these results… After 31 years of debates, and for the first time, we have a result that takes into account a transition trajectory away from these fossil fuels.
“Obviously this roadmap is an effort that we will have to carry out from now on. Brazil’s position is based on the idea that developed and developing countries must all commit to having a common responsibility, however …developed countries must take that initiative.”
Singapore Environment Minister Grace Fu. “I think we have to take the result as part of an agreement that has been negotiated in every way.”
“Very often in a negotiation, the parties are too entrenched in their respective positions. And words like ‘phase out’ became a problem… The important thing is to look at the content and intentions.”
Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad: “There were two positive things: first, having this discussion at the heart of the oil production system, and also that it was led by someone who could talk to those countries and that sector.”
Former US Vice President Al Gore:
“COP28’s decision to finally recognize that the climate crisis is, at its core, a fossil fuel crisis is an important milestone. But it is also the minimum we need and are long overdue. The influence of petrostates remains evident in the half measures and gaps included in the final agreement.”
“Whether this is a turning point that truly marks the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era depends on the actions that come next and the mobilization of financing necessary to achieve them.”
A source familiar with Saudi Arabia’s position: “The agreement is “a menu where each country can follow its own path” and “shows the different paths that will allow us to maintain the 1.5ºC objective according to the characteristics of each nation.” and in the context of sustainable development”.
“We must take advantage of every opportunity to reduce emissions regardless of the source. We must use all technologies to do so.”
“This Global Balance is very far from the current urgency and being able to limit the increase in global temperature by 1.5ºC,” says Javier Andaluz, from Ecologistas en Acción.
For this organization, the inclusion of “false solutions, such as nuclear energy, “alternative” fuels or carbon capture”, represents an enormous danger for all of humanity and “opens the door for business interests and the need to take precedence.” of large companies”, instead of allocating efforts to already proven technologies such as renewables.
“The final text remains a concession to oil-producing countries like the US and Saudi Arabia, which have blocked explicit mentions in previous drafts of putting a fair and definitive end to fossil fuels quickly, once again ignoring the evidence scientific”.
And Javier Andaluz concludes his analysis: “Likewise, the inability of the countries of the global North—to provide the financing and tools necessary for the countries of the global South to be able to opt for an alternative development model—prevents greater progress in the climate fight. , due to the enormous dependence of these countries on fossils for the eradication of poverty. Objectives such as tripling renewables will hardly be able to provide a response to the climate emergency if they are not based on the replacement of fossils and are especially directed to the most vulnerable communities.
“The COP28 Agreement is insufficient to address the climate crisis and protect communities around the world from its extreme consequences. Friends of the Earth denounces that the final text continues to open the door wide to false solutions that They will have devastating impacts at all levels and mainly in the global South.