Island Nations Score COP 28 Deal On Fossil Fuels

The COP28 climate talks in Dubai concluded in a historic deal that calls for countries to quickly shift energy systems away from fossil fuels in a just and orderly fashion, as reported by John Ainger, Jess Shankleman, and Jennifer A. Dlouhy for Bloomberg News.

Anne Rasmussen, the lead negotiator for Samoa, warned that the clause on shifting away from fossil fuels focuses exclusively on energy systems, rather than the wider economy. I Photo: Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme - SPREP Facebook; COP28

Under the deal, countries are also called to contribute to a global transition effort — rather than being outright compelled to make that shift on their own.

The president of this year’s UN-sponsored summit, UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber, brokered an agreement that was strong enough for the US and European Union (EU) to accept, offering a reduction in fossil fuel use while keeping Saudi Arabia and other oil producers on board.

The final agreement calls for countries to quickly shift energy systems away from fossil fuels in a just and orderly fashion, qualifications that helped convince the skeptics.

Anne Rasmussen, the lead negotiator for Samoa, warned that the clause on shifting away from fossil fuels focuses exclusively on energy systems, rather than the wider economy.

Rasmussen complained that the text’s focus on carbon capture and storage is a backward step and could be a license for countries to continue burning hydrocarbons.

WEEKLY FEATURE : Jose Mari Chan And The Christmas Anthem