"ABU DHABI - The need for agreement to tackle global warming is "higher than ever", but it has never been harder as the geopolitical backdrop complicates international cooperation, the European Union's climate chief said on Monday ahead of next month's COP28 summit.
Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra also said the EU would not accept an outcome at COP28 that only reached deals on less contentious topics - such as increased use of renewable energy - if it failed to solve tougher issues such as phasing out fossil fuels.
"This is not an à la carte menu. It is actually all that is on the menu that needs to be delivered on," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a preliminary COP28 gathering in Abu Dhabi ahead of the U.N. summit starting at the end of November.
The challenge of getting countries to agree is all the greater as Israel has escalated its bombardment of Gaza, Russia's war on Ukraine continues and tensions run high between the U.S. and China."
Alexander Cornwell reports for Reuters October 30, 2023.
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"COP28 Chief, Groups, Urge Tripling Renewable Capacity By 2030" (Reuters)
"UAE's Jaber Urges Countries To Find Common Ground On Fossil Fuels" (Reuters)
"A Critical Meeting Before The Big COP28 Summit Will Tackle Thorny Issues" (Axios)
"What Is COP28 in Dubai And Why Is It Important?" (BBC News)
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