Nations at Climate Summit agree to move away from fossil fuels
For the first time since countries came together to tackle climate change three decades ago, diplomats from nearly 200 countries have agreed to a global pact that explicitly calls for “the transition away from fossil fuels” like oil, gas and coal, which are dangerously warming the planet .
The sweeping agreement, which comes during the hottest year on record, was reached on Wednesday after two weeks of furious debate at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. European leaders and many of the countries most vulnerable to climate-induced extreme weather events pushed for language calling for a complete “phase-out” of fossil fuels. But that proposal faced fierce resistance from major oil exporters such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as well as fast-growing countries such as India and Nigeria.
Ultimately, negotiators reached a compromise: the new deal calls on countries to accelerate the global shift away from fossil fuels in a “just, orderly and equitable manner” this decade, and to stop adding altogether by mid-century carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. It also calls on countries to triple the amount of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, installed around the world by 2030 and reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
While previous UN climate agreements have urged countries to reduce emissions, they have shied away from explicitly mentioning the words “fossil fuels,” even though the burning of oil, gas and coal are the leading cause of global warming. soil.
The new deal is not legally binding and cannot, by itself, force any country to take action. Still, many politicians, environmentalists and business leaders here hoped this would send a clear signal to investors and policymakers that the era of increasing fossil fuel use would soon end. Over the next two years, each country is expected to submit a detailed, formal plan on how it plans to reduce emissions by 2035. Today’s agreement is intended to provide guidance for those plans.
“This sends a clear signal that the world is making a decisive move to phase out fossil fuels, promote sustainable energy and efficiency, and tackle forest loss and degradation,” said Jake Schmidt, senior strategic director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. “It formally warns the fossil fuel industry that its old business model is ending.”
The deal represents a diplomatic victory for the United Arab Emirates, the oil-rich country that hosted the talks in a sprawling Dubai exhibition center under hazy skies just 11 miles from the world’s largest natural gas power plant. Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati official and oil chief chairing the talks, has called a fossil fuel phase-out “inevitable” and has staked his reputation on convincing other oil countries to sign a major new climate change treaty.
“We worked together all night and into the early hours of the morning to build consensus,” Mr Al Jaber said before a room full of applauding negotiators on Wednesday morning. “I promised I would roll up my sleeves. We have the foundation to achieve transformational change.”
It remains to be seen whether countries will adhere to the agreement. Scientists say countries will have to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 43 percent this decade if they want to limit overall global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to previous levels. Above that level, scientists say, people will struggle to adapt to rising sea levels, forest fires, extreme storms and drought.
Max Berak, Lisa Friedman, Somini Sengupta And Jenny Gross contributed reporting from Dubai.