COP28 still has many disagreements on phasing out fossil fuels

Previously, at least 80 countries including the US, the European Union and many poor countries vulnerable to climate change requested the COP28 agreement to explicitly call for an end to the use of fossil fuels in the conference's joint statement.

The COP28 conference has yet to agree on whether to include phasing out fossil fuels such as oil and coal in the joint statement. Photo: AFP

COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber of host UAE urged nations late on Saturday to speed up work to find a final deal, saying “there are still more areas of difference than consensus”.

OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said earlier in a letter read out at the conference: "We need practical solutions to tackle emissions... as well as promote economic growth, help alleviate poverty and at the same time increase resilience."

Earlier this week, the OPEC oil-producing group sent a letter urging members to reject any mention of fossil fuels in the COP28 agreement.

According to Alden Meyer of the climate change think tank E3G, this is the first time the OPEC secretariat has intervened in UN climate talks with such a letter. “It shows a bit of panic,” he said.

Other countries including China and India have not explicitly endorsed phasing out fossil fuels at COP28, but have backed the popular call to boost renewable energy.

China's top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhue, described this year's climate summit as the most difficult of his career. "I have been involved in these climate negotiations for 16 years. This year's meeting is the most difficult. There are so many issues to resolve," he told reporters.

He said there was little chance the COP28 conference would be successful if countries could not agree on a language on the future of fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, India's Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav demanded "fairness" in any deal, saying rich countries should lead global climate action.

A Russian representative said in a speech that Moscow is considering whether some of the roughly $300 billion in gold reserves frozen by the West should be used for a “Loss and Damage” fund.

With the COP28 conference scheduled to end on Tuesday (December 12), leaders and senior officials from nearly 200 countries gathered in Dubai clearly have little time left to resolve the fossil fuel impasse.

Huy Hoang (according to COP28, Reuters, AFP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cop28-con-nhieu-bat-dong-ve-viec-loai-bo-dan-nhien-lieu-hoa-thach-post275906.html