To learn more, revisit our full coverage from COP28 here.
After tense, overtime negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, countries finally agreed to “transition away” from fossil fuels – the first time that such an agreement has been reached since the first climate COP meeting in 1995.
While hailed as a landmark deal, the final text of the ‘UAE Consensus’ steers clear of addressing calls to “phase out” or even “phase down” fossil fuels, nor does it require countries to take action to move away from them.
The non-binding agreement and its watered-down language have been met with disappointment from many climate advocates, as well as the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), who stand to lose their territories if sea levels continue to rise and have openly criticized the text’s “litany of loopholes.”
Perhaps most emblematically, the AOSIS delegates were not even in the room when the deal was announced.
“Clearly, ‘transitioning away’ was not the ideal outcome,” says Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the Club of Rome.
“On one hand, I’m disappointed and feel that we’ve let down the small island states who made it very clear that this deal comes nowhere near what they were expecting. But having been there until the bitter end and seeing how difficult it was to get any deal at all, I am relieved. I do believe it’s a start.”
Dixson-Declève’s relief stems from the fierce opposition the deal faced from oil-producing nations, including Russia and Saudi Arabia.
During negotiations, the head of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) urged all member states to reject any final agreement that targeted fossil fuels rather than greenhouse gas emissions.
This is widely understood as an attempt by petrostates to shift the focus away from their increasing fossil fuel production and towards mitigation measures such as carbon credits, renewable energy and carbon capture and storage technologies, which are unproven at scale.
In this context, the ongoing presence of the term ‘fossil fuels’ in the agreement is a win.
Still, fossil fuel interests are likely to steer the agenda again at next year’s COP29, which is slated to take place in another petrostate: Azerbaijan.
| COP28: A recap • Landmark agreement to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels • Fossil fuel phaseout still hotly debated, especially by petrostates • Loss and Damage Fund approved with over USD 700 million in initial pledges • First ever gender and climate day at a COP • Next year’s COP29 to take place in Azerbaijan, followed by Brazil in 2025 |
Central at COP28 was the conclusion of the first-ever ‘Global Stocktake’ – a five-year process for countries to check their progress as part of the Paris Agreement.
The stocktake is part of the accord’s “ratchet mechanism,” which requires signatory countries to progressively enhance their nationally determined contributions. In other words, countries must reduce their emissions by a greater amount every five years.
Hundreds of pages of national submissions were collected during the first week of COP28. These were combined into several iterations of draft texts that eventually resulted in the final agreement.
Other notable emissions and energy pledges include:
While these new pledges show promise, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said they are nowhere near enough to keep global heating under 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The next Global Stocktake is scheduled for 2028.
COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber – also CEO of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) – stoked controversy by claiming that there was “no science” indicating that fossil fuels would need to be phased out to achieve the 1.5-degree goal.
Although he later defended his statement, saying it had been “taken out of context,” critics say his appointment represented a major conflict of interest.
This COP in Dubai was also attended by almost 2,500 representatives from the oil and gas industries – outnumbering almost every country delegation, and nearly seven times the number of official Indigenous representatives.
With such disparities in representation, it’s worth questioning whose voices and interests are leading climate negotiations on the global stage.
During the conference, over 100 scientists signed an open letter reaffirming the need to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by rapidly phasing down fossil fuels.
We also received other grim climate news during COP28:
But the final agreement still offers hope for keeping 1.5 degrees within reach.
“The text is actually stronger in recognizing the pathway to 1.5 degrees,” says Dixson-Declève. “There has been a recognition that new, updated science had been lacking in [previous] COP discussions.”
COP28 was the largest COP to date, with over 100,000 attendees, but this record number didn’t necessarily lead to greater inclusivity.
Most notably, demonstrations were limited to a few pre-approved civil society groups who were allowed into the UN-controlled ‘Blue Zone.’
Outside the Blue Zone, there were stricter regulations on protest and freedom of speech, leading to fewer lively demonstrations than have accompanied previous COPs. Amnesty International criticized these regulations as “inconducive to a participatory and meaningful outcome for all stakeholders.”
Nevertheless, here are a few notable achievements for inclusive discussions this year:
Countries approved the Loss and Damage Fund on the first day of COP28, with pledges exceeding USD 700 million.
While the rapid agreement was encouraging, much more funding is still needed to help vulnerable countries adapt to the climate crisis. The pledges so far are minuscule compared to the USD 400 billion in losses that developing countries are experiencing each year.
The Loss and Damage Fund will controversially be hosted by the World Bank for its first four years. It also remains unclear how the funds will be distributed to the people who need it.
In addition to the Loss and Damage Fund:
Given the limited results from COP28, Dixson-Declève believes there are better ways to push for targeted implementation outside of these annual conferences.
“It is a sobering moment, she says. “We can only ask ourselves whether our institutional systems are fit for purpose and whether we really are delivering on the great challenges before us.”
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