Agreement in Dubai
UN climate conference calls for a move away from fossil fuels
December 13, 2023, 8:19 a.m
For two weeks, the UN climate conference discussed whether the global community should commit to phasing out coal, oil and gas. It was finally possible to agree on a move away from fossil fuels – but a clear phase-out was missing from the final text.
The World Climate Conference in Dubai has agreed on a final document. For the first time, the global community is calling for a move away from fossil fuels at a UN climate conference. However, the clear phase out previously demanded by more than 100 states does not appear in the final text. The conference president, Sultan Al-Jaber, stood up beaming in front of the plenary, applauded and spoke of a “historic package”. It is a robust action plan to keep the 1.5 degree target within reach.
This refers to the internationally agreed goal in 2015 of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. Many climate experts and environmentalists had previously questioned this. The text of the conference presidency from the United Arab Emirates was published on Wednesday morning and adopted in plenary just a few hours later. The 21-page paper calls on countries to move away from fossil fuels in their energy systems.
More than a hundred states had previously called for more extensive wording, namely a phase out. However, the text also left back doors open – such as the continued use of gas and the use of controversial technologies for storing and capturing CO2. It also includes the goal of tripling the capacity of renewable energy by 2030 and doubling the pace of energy efficiency during this period. The G20 countries had already planned to do this.