"COP28 Does Not Deliver Clear Path to Fossil Fuel Phase Out"

"Small island states that arrived after the document was approved, don’t accept the outcome as a consensus decision."

"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Going into overtime under the cover of a dark winter night in Dubai, climate negotiators at COP28 cooked up a weak sauce of climate half-measures that fail to adequately address the existential risk of global warming to millions of people around the globe, according to leading climate experts at the conference.

The UAE Consensus, COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber said, represents a clear step in a just transition away from fossil fuels, but the tarnished image of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and its process requiring consensus among nations, took another big hit because 39 small island states most affected by global warming were not in the room when al-Jaber signaled acceptance during the closing plenary.

As a result, there will be an asterisk next to COP28 in the future. To activists and many country delegates, the way the outcome came about further undermined al-Jaber’s leadership, which had been questioned since it was announced last year due to his apparent conflict of interest as head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, one of the biggest fossil fuel producers in the world."

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News December 13, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"Analysis: At COP28, Sultan al-Jaber Got What The UAE Wanted. Others Leave It Wanting Much More" (AP)

"Takeaways From The COP28 Climate Deal" (Reuters)

"Reaction To The Final COP28 Climate Deal" (Reuters)

"After COP28, A Long Road Ahead" (Grist)

"Examining COP28's Potential Impact On Climate Change" (BBC News)

"Dubai Climate Talks: What Did They Achieve?" (DW)

"Four Takeaways From the COP28 Climate Summit" (New York Times)

"COP28 Deal Not Enough To Hold 1.5C Limit Without Action, Finance" (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

"COP28: 5 Big Takeaways On A Historic Climate Agreement" (The Hill)

"Winners And Losers In The New Global Climate Deal" (Washington Post)

"Saudi Arabia Backs COP28 Deal, Praises Flexible Approach" (Reuters)

"COP28 Calls For Adapting To Warmer World Without Resolving How To Pay" (Reuters)