By Valerie Volcovici, Gloria Dickie and William James
Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst impacts of climate change, a first of its kind deal signaling the eventual end of the oil age.
The deal struck in Dubai after two weeks of hard-fought negotiations was meant to send a powerful signal to investors and policy-makers that the world is now united in its desire to break with fossil fuels, something scientists say is the last best hope to stave off climate catastrophe.
“It is the first time that the world unites around such a clear text on the need to transition away from fossil fuels,” said Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide of the agreement. “It has been the elephant in the room. At last we address it head on.”
More than 100 countries had lobbied hard for strong language in the COP28 agreement to “phase out” oil, gas and coal use, but came up against powerful opposition from the Saudi Arabia-led oil producer group OPEC, which argued that the world can slash emissions without shunning specific fuels.
That battle pushed the summit into overtime on Wednesday.
Now that the deal is struck, countries are responsible for delivering on the agreements through national policies and investments.
The proposed deal would specifically call for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner … so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
It also calls for a tripling of renewable energy capacity globally by 2030, speeding up efforts to reduce coal, and accelerating technologies such as carbon capture and storage that can clean up hard-to-decarbonize industries.
COP28’s final hours of climate negotiations
The COP28 climate summit went into overtime Wednesday morning, with negotiators trying to reach a deal for this year’s U.N. meeting. Reuters reporters were on the ground delivering the latest updates, scenes and insights during the hoped-for final hours.
All times local (GMT+4)
11:15 a.m.
The plenary erupts in applause as the COP28 deal is adopted.
10:42 a.m.
After taking in the proposed deal, country representatives started gathering in the COP28 plenary hall, where there is some chance the text will be formally adopted.
Reactions to the text have so far been mainly positive, with some exceptions.
The Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), which represents countries disproportionately vulnerable to climate change including sea level rise, said it was not ambitious enough, China said the proposal was not perfect, and several delegates said it failed to address finance.
Importantly, there has been no word yet from OPEC members on whether the text is acceptable.
7:09 a.m.
The text of the deal proposed by the COP presidency has been published.
The deal, which needs to be approved by the summit, recognises “the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions” and calls for parties to contribute to:
“Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
It also lists 7 other steps to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
1:13 a.m
The U.N. climate body which runs the COP process issues a notice saying new deal texts are intended to be published at 6 a.m. (0200 GMT), followed by a plenary session with the COP28 president at 9:30 a.m.
If a deal is reached, countries will approve it during that plenary session. If issues remain, there could be further iterations of the text.
The notice popped up on television screens dotted around the media centre and prompted many of the last remaining reporters to head back to their hotels (or at least the nearest sofa) for a few hours sleep.
Note: COP timings have a habit of slipping back, but things rarely happen earlier than expected.
00:01 a.m.
For the second day in a row, meetings continue past midnight at the summit.
Last night, heads of delegations talked until the early hours, reacting to a draft text that failed to impress many of the nearly 200 nations attending the summit.
More than 24 hours later and there still isn’t a new text from the presidency. A new one is expected sometime after the end of the meetings, which is currently scheduled for 3 a.m. local time Wednesday (2300 GMT Tuesday).
“There (are) improvements from yesterday’s language in some areas,” said Cedric Schuster, minister of natural resources and the environment for Samoa. On the key issue of wording around the future of fossil fuels, Schuster said he would wait to see the whole package before judging.
11:30 p.m.
The flurry of consultations with the COP28 presidency continues, with representatives from several different nations and negotiating blocs coming and going from one of the dozens of meeting buildings spread throughout the sprawling site.
Outside, reporters are mingling under artificial lights to catch delegates on their way out and get a read on the latest developments.
A steady beat of drum and bass drifts across from a nearby restaurant, one of the few remaining open in the venue.
10:46 p.m.
Delegates from the Alliance of Small Island States have been pushing hard for strong language around phasing out fossil fuels in the final deal text. Late on Tuesday, they were also hungry. A group of them was seen returning to the COP28 meeting rooms carrying several bags of KFC.
9:50 p.m.
Brazil’s chief negotiator, Andre Correa do Lago, told reporters there would most probably be a deal during the night, “so late it’s early”.
He said the issues of raising ambition and finance were still open and many more meetings were scheduled before a deal is finalised.
9:35 p.m.
A spokesperson for the COP28 host confirmed it’s going to be a long night in Dubai.
“Overnight and throughout today, the COP28 President and his team have been engaging in extensive consultations with a wide representation of negotiating groups and Parties. This is to ensure everyone is heard, and all views are considered. He is determined to deliver a version of the text that has the support of all Parties. Consultations will continue until 03:00AM GST.”
9:25 p.m.
Omani negotiator Said Hamed Al Sarmi explains the position of some oil producer countries opposing language that targets fossil fuels in the final text.
“We feel it’s our right to grow and to have a share of the remaining carbon budget,” he said. “In the Paris agreement, there is no mention of targeting the sources, we are targeting the emissions. The region, the countries here, are working so hard to gain the technology to reduce the emissions.”
9:23 p.m.
Out in the main concourse of the conference venue, groups of delegates who were not caught up in the negotiations gathered to eat before the catering outlets shut down.
Others, anticipating a long night ahead, tried to grab a little sleep on slightly too-small-to-be-comfortable sofas.
There were also goodbyes as those who had planned on an on-schedule end to the talks hugged colleagues and wheeled their suitcases out, headed to the airport with the fate of the summit still undecided.
9:05 p.m.
Canada Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he just had a positive meeting with the COP28 presidency.
“I feel very encouraged. Much more encouraged than I was yesterday. We will see in a few hours exactly what the text will look like,” he told reporters.
“I think they listened. The message they heard loud and clear last night … the text that was presented to us did not go far enough.”
“I think it’s going to be some hours before we see a new text, and I suspect it will be the last.”
8:58 p.m.
U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry popped out of a meeting with representatives from several other delegations and said the fossil fuel language in the COP28 deal text was getting stronger.
“I think there’s progress and moving in the right direction. And you know, we’re going to keep working through the night. But it’s in a very different place from where we were yesterday,” he told reporters.
Countries push for COP28 deal on fossil fuels as talks spill into overtime
