After more than two weeks of discussions on how to keep the global temperature from rising further, the United Nation’s climate summit in Dubai concluded on Wednesday morning with an agreement calling for the world to “transition away” from fossil fuels.
The non-binding pact was struck by representatives of nearly 200 countries attending the summit—known as COP28—held in the capital of the oil-rich Gulf state.
According to the agreement, the goal is to limit the Earth’s long-term warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), a threshold mainstream scientists and climate alarmists say is necessary for avoiding the devastating and irreversible effects of what they believe is a “human-caused” climate crisis.
“Together, we have set the world in the right direction,“ said COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, who has had to tone down the language of the original proposal to keep the Middle Eastern and other oil-exporting countries on board.
An earlier version of the deal, which called for a complete “phase out” of oil, gas, and coal, was met with much pushback from major traditional energy producers and consumers, such as Saudi Arabia. The final text instead advocates for “transitioning away from fossil fuels” while “accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero [greenhouse gas emissions] by 2050” in a “just, orderly, and equitable manner.”
This is the first time the term “fossil fuels” appeared in a U.N. agreement on climate change. The text also recognizes a role for “transitional fuels,” understood to be a reference to natural gas, and calls for accelerating technologies of carbon capture and storage.
Under the deal, countries are also told to promote a progressive social agenda as part of their effort to tackle climate change. Specifically, it encourages countries to implement “gender-responsive” climate policy and action while considering “gender equality, empowerment of women, and intergenerational equity.“
Additionally, Wednesday’s deal urges countries to note that “some cultures” recognize the planet and its ecological systems as “Mother Earth,” in what appeared to be a nod to activist groups claiming that the non-human parts of the Earth have inherent legal rights and deserve legal representation.
Not all climate change advocates are satisfied with the agreement. Former Vice President Al Gore, a prominent figure in the environmentalist movement dating back decades, took issue with the language on carbon capture, arguing that this is a giveaway to countries that say they can continue to burn fossil fuels so long as they use that technology to keep the overall emissions levels in check.
“The decision at COP28 to finally recognize that the climate crisis is, at its heart, a fossil fuel crisis is an important milestone. But it is also the bare minimum we need and is long overdue,“ he said. “The influence of petrostates is still evident in the half measures and loopholes included in the final agreement.”
The COP28 deal also frustrated a group of island nations that fear extinction from rising sea levels. The Alliance of Small Island States, which represents 39 small island and low-lying coastal countries, complained that they have been sidelined in the conversation and that the language in the final text is too weak to help address the existential threat they’re facing.
“We have made an incremental advancement over business as usual when what we really needed is an exponential step change in our actions,” said Anne Rasmussen, the lead negotiator for Samoa, which lies in the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.
Ms. Rasmussen also echoed Vice President Gore’s concern about the recognition of the roles of “transitional fuel” and carbon capture technology.
America’s Climate Commitments
John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s top climate diplomat, described the document as one that “sends very strong messages to the world.”“I think everyone has to agree this is much stronger and clearer as a call on 1.5 [degrees Celsius] than we have ever heard before, and it clearly reflects what the science says,” he said. “We will continue to press for a more rapid transition.”
Mr. Kerry’s comment comes after he met with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, in southern California last month ahead of COP28, leading to a joint call by Washington and Beijing for a commitment to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, a type of gas used in refrigerants and air conditioners.
On Dec. 5, the sixth day of the Dubai summit, the United States and China both signed a pledge to cut down cooling-related emissions. The Global Cooling Pledge requires countries to reduce such emissions by at least 68 percent by 2050 compared to 2022 levels. It also proposes setting up minimum energy performance standards for appliances by 2030.
During the climate conference, Mr. Kerry also announced that the United States will not be building any new coal-burning plants while retiring the existing ones. Undeterred by various climate pledges and goals that the country’s leadership has paid lip service to, China has been building new coal plants at a rapid pace.
The Biden administration’s pledges have drawn criticism from advocates for America’s energy independence, including former President and 2024 presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
“I see John Kerry all over the place talking about [how] we have to get rid of our coal plants,” President Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during a town hall event with New Hampshire voters. “And yet China is building one coal plant a week, massive coal plants, and they’re doing it just automatically.”
“And John Kerry wants us to stop doing anything we can. We have a country, we have to fire up our factories. Wind is not going to fire up our factories, and it’s the most expensive energy,” he said. “He goes all over the world in a private jet, by the way. He goes all over the world talking to these people about getting rid of coal plants.“
