In what is being called a “historic” agreement, nearly 200 nations have agreed to transition away from fossil fuels during the United Nations’ annual climate summit, COP28, held this year in Dubai. This pact marked the first time a consensus was reached on phasing out oil, coal and gas during the nearly three decades of these meetings.
“For the very first time at a COP, fossil fuels have been on the table as a major part of our negotiations,” said John Kerry, U.S. special climate envoy. “And the decision that came out of this, clearly embraces transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, so as to achieve net zero by 2050.”
The aim of this climate deal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and also includes a call to triple global renewable energy capacity come 2030. Yet, questions remain as to whether this will be enough to keep global warming inside the safety limits laid out within the Paris Agreement.
“The COP28 outcome only describes partial measures in very vague and non-committal terms,” said Joeri Rogelj, director of research at the Grantham Institute. “This leaves lots of room for interpretation which will have to be dealt with in the years to come. While the COP28 outcome is a step in the right direction, it is also a hesitant and insufficient step. It is far from clear that this will keep global warming within the safety limits set out by the Paris Agreement.”
Both climate scientists and activists have expressed their disappointment with the non-binding COP28 agreement, saying it lacks strong enough language to spur meaningful action and features numerous loopholes.
Moving away from fossil fuels is just one of several options the pact offers nations to contribute to the global carbon pollution reduction effort.
“COP28 needed to deliver an unambiguous statement about the rapid phase out of fossil fuels,” said Dr. James Dyke, from the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. “Unfortunately, that did not happen. While the agreement’s call for the need to transition away from fossil fuels is welcome, it has numerous caveats and loopholes that risks rendering it meaningless.”
A number of countries have referred to the results of this climate summit as “incremental and not transformational.” These nations have pointed to data which shows that in order for the planet to avoid exceeding the Paris Agreement climate parameters, steep emissions cuts must be made, none of which are mandated by this latest deal.
“As the new agreement locks in high levels of emissions for years to come, the temperature will continue to rise,” said Kevin Anderson, professor of energy and climate change at the Tyndall Centre. “We face a climate emergency that the COP process appears simply unwilling or unable to address.”
However, despite the criticism, advocates of the COP28 pledge hope it will ultimately be a stepping stone to further climate action around the world in the coming years.
