The delegates at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 voted on the final version of a document summarising global findings on the climate crisis on 13 December.

It is challenging to reach a global agreement on tackling the climate crisis, as evidenced by the fact that the final summary document of the COP28 summit was released 24 hours after the deadline. The summit lasted for two weeks, and negotiations continued until late into the night on 12 December.

Commentators describe the text of the final agreement with mixed feelings. "The decision at COP28 to finally recognise that the climate crisis is, at its heart, a fossil fuel crisis is an important milestone," stressed former US Vice President Al Gore.

Although the declaration of a global phase-out of fossil fuels was considered the greatest achievement of the summit, it was almost not included in the final draft document summarising the findings. Oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, strongly opposed the inclusion of such wording in the paper.

The summit, held in the United Arab Emirates and chaired by Sultan Al Jaber, extended its negotiations until 13 December to address this issue.

In his post on X, Al Gore continued: "The influence of petrostates is still evident in the half measures and loopholes included in the final agreement."

"Fossil fuel interests went all out to control the outcome, but the passionate work of millions of climate activists around the world inspired and motivated delegates from many nations to loosen the industry’s grip," Gore emphasised. Climate activists, including those from the Polish Inicjatywa Wschód (English: East Initiative), reported a high number of oil company lobbyists at COP28.

A journalist, Leo Hickman, highlighted that the landmark findings of COP28 were expressed in the "weakest" possible language. The summary document of the summit "calls on" signatory states to triple the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in their energy mix and to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. In diplomatic jargon, "calls on" means an "invitation" or a "request," as explained by Hickman in a comment on X.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal of WWF, who chaired COP20 11 years ago in Peru, concluded: "We are still way off course to limit global warming to 1.5°C and avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis. In this critical decade, all countries must enhance the ambition and implementation of climate action."

The next Climate Change Conference, COP29, will be held in 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Source: The Guardian