COP28

When delegates gathered in Dubai just a fortnight ago for the opening of COP28, the chances of progress seemed slim, but these oil state climate talks delivered a transition away from fossil fuels that no previous COP managed to achieve.

The final COP28 document marks a historic first: an explicit call to end the era of fossil fuels. But experts say the text also includes weak language and loopholes.

U.N. Executive Secretary Simon Stiell urged countries to remove obstacles in the COP28 negotiations or “risk ruining the outcome for everyone.”

Much like the draft COP28 text that omitted to mention a fossil fuel phase-out, Brazil’s vow to be the “1.5 paladin” is an empty promise.

Saudi Arabia remains a thorn in the side of COP28. Only one solution remains – that the Gulf petrostate host its own COP, and face up to global scrutiny as the United Arab Emirates has done.

As COP28 in Dubai reaches its final critical hours, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said Monday that it is time to “negotiate with grace.”

OPEC members are against including the phase-out of fossil fuels in the agreement expected to be announced at the end of COP28.

In a letter to COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, they called for an “orderly phase out of all fossil fuels in a just & equitable way, in line with a 1.5C trajectory.”

In the first week of COP28, the U.S. and Canada announced or joined a long list of climate initiatives. But both countries, along with other major producers, are reluctant to commit to the larger task of phasing out fossil fuels.

A text is on the table for Global Stocktake negotiators at COP28 to finalize, but so far, it looks dreamy and scattered.

COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber said he respects science, following his earlier comments that there was “no science” behind calls for the end of fossil fuels to limit temperature rises to 1.5C.

Fifty countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia signed an official charter that stipulates reducing carbon and methane emissions.

At COP28 in Dubai, 50 oil and gas companies pledged to stop contributing to greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Negotiators have begun to address one of the most important tasks of COP28, the global stocktake assessment process.

The U.S. and China are holding an event at COP28 on methane emissions. While progress on methane is welcome, experts warn that the reluctance to curb fossil fuel production is making the methane crisis worse.