Stronger Cop20 text stops short of calling for phasing out of fossil fuels

A man holds a sign that reads end fossil fuels at the Cop28 UN Climate Summit (Rafiq Maqbool/AP)

The proposed final agreement from the UN Cop28 Climate Summit in Dubai calls for the world to wean itself off planet-warming fossil fuels, but it stops short of calling for them to be phased out.

More than 100 countries had called for that to be included in the final text after an initial draft was released.

Instead, the text issued on Wednesday calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade”.

The transition would be in a way that gets the world to net zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 and follows the dictates of climate science.

Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, minister of energy of Saudi Arabia, centre, walks through the Cop28 UN Climate Summit as negotiations continued (Rafiq Maqbool/AP)

It projects a peak in carbon pollution by 2025 to reach its agreed upon threshold, but gives wiggle room to nations like China to peak later.

Intensive talks went well into the small hours of Wednesday morning after the conference presidency’s initial document angered many countries by avoiding decisive calls for action on curbing warming.

The third version presented in about two weeks does not feature the word “oil” anywhere in the 21-page document and mentions “fossil fuels” twice.

The aim of the global stocktake is to help nations align their national climate plans with the 2015 Paris agreement that calls to limit warming to 1.5C with Earth on its way to smashing the record for the hottest year.

Countries will discuss the text produced by Cop28 president Sultan al-Jaber and his team on Wednesday in a session that could lead to its adoption or could send negotiators back for more work.

Activists in a demonstration against fossil fuels at the Cop28 UN Climate Summit (Peter Dejong/AP)

Any deal must be agreed by all 198 countries.

Some of the language in previous versions that most upset nations calling for dramatic action to address climate change was altered.

Actions previously presented as an optional “could” changed to a bit more directing “calls on parties to”.

Union of Concerned Scientists climate and energy policy director Rachel Cleetus said it was “definitely an improvement” over earlier versions that environmental advocacy groups like hers criticised.

Other documents presented on Wednesday addressed the sticky issues of money to help poorer nations adapt to global warming and emit less carbon, as well as how countries should adapt to a warming climate.

The annual conference was supposed to end on Tuesday but negotiators remained in closed meetings as they reworked the cornerstone document that flopped a day earlier.