DUBAI (Reuters) – The COP28 presidency released on Wednesday a proposed text for a final climate deal that would for the first time push nations to “transition away” from fossil fuels to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
Here is some reaction to the proposal:
Norway’s minister for climate and the environment, Espen Barth Eide:
“It is the first time that the world unites around such a clear text on the need to transition away from fossil fuels. It has been the elephant in the room, at last we address it head on. This is the outcome of extremely many conversations and intense diplomacy.”
Stephen Cornelius, WWF Deputy Global Climate and Energy Lead:
“This draft is a sorely needed improvement from the last version, which rightly caused outrage. The language on fossil fuels is much improved, but still falls short of calling for the full phase out of coal, oil and gas.”
Rachel Cleetus, policy director and a lead economist for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists:
“The latest Global Stocktake text sends a strong signal that world leaders recognise that a sharp turn away from fossil fuels toward clean energy in this critical decade and beyond, aligned with the science, is essential to meet our climate goals.
The finance and equity provisions, however, are seriously insufficient and must be improved in the time ahead in order to ensure low- and middle-income countries can transition to clean energy and close the energy poverty gap.”
(Reporting by Sarah McFarlane, Valerie Volcovici, Gloria Dickie, Simon Jesop, William James, Elizabeth Piper, David Stanway; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
