Click the link to read the roundup on the Carbon Brief website:
For the first time ever, COP28 ended with a deal to transition the world away from fossil fuels, Bloomberg reports. It says the United Arab Emirates (UAE) president Sultan Al Jaber arrived at a deal “strong enough for the US and EU on the need to dramatically curb fossil fuel use while keeping Saudi Arabia and other oil producers on board”. It notes that Al Jaber brought the gavel down on the so-called “global stocktake” text on Wednesday morning – a day later than when COP28 was scheduled to conclude – and was greeted by applause and cheers by delegates. The draft text of the global stocktake deal, which was published early this morning, “calls on parties to contribute to the following global efforts”, including “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”, Le Monde reports. It notes that the text does not include a request to “phase out” fossil fuels as many countries and civil society groups hoped for. According to the Press Association, the agreement “defied the expectations of many observers who thought that the host country being a major oil exporter would be too much of a conflict of interest”. The Guardian notes that “climate-justice advocates said the text fell far short of what was needed for a fair transition”. The New York Times lists some of the text’s other commitments, including calling on nations to triple the amount of renewable energy installed around the world by 2030 and to slash emissions of methane. The Guardianand BBC News have both been live-blogging the latest reaction to the final text before and after it was agreed.
Coverage from yesterday – published prior to the emergence of the new text – details how, as BusinessGreen describes it, the presidency and negotiating delegations had reportedly been up until 4am “attempting to broker a compromise on the global stocktake text”. The i newspaper says both the US and the UK had been branded “hypocrites” by climate campaigners for “criticising countries that do not agree to a ‘phase out’ of fossil fuels while continuing to develop oil and gas fields domestically”. The Financial Times frames the disputes that had been taking place as “the majority of countries present clash[ing] with Saudi Arabia”.
In wider COP28 news, the Independent has a piece about Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, and her effort to secure a more ambitious outcome for her country. The Guardian has an explainer detailing the importance of “means of implementation” – climate finance and other support measures – for developing countries. New Scientist has a piece about how COP28 has “changed the conversation” around fossil fuels.
