However, the direct exit from fossil fuels, urgently demanded by scientists and activists, is not found in the preliminary final text.
Nevertheless, COP President Sultan Al Jaber described the draft as “a big step forward”, but for Greenpeace the paper is a “serious setback”. This envisages a “reduction in both the use and promotion of fossil fuels”. This should be done in a “fair, orderly” manner in order to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality “by, before or around 2050”. Even when it comes to subsidies for fossil energy, the new draft does not contain any decision to phase out fossil fuels without any ifs or buts. Rather, it simply envisages ending “inefficient fossil energy subsidies that promote wasteful use” “as quickly as possible.”
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Before the new draft resolution was presented, agreement on a complete move away from the use of fossil fuels was, according to those involved in the negotiations, more tangible than ever before. However, Al Jaber said in a statement that while progress has been made, there is “still much to be done.” “You know what still needs to be agreed. And you know that I want you to show the highest level of ambition on all points, including the wording on fossil fuels,” he said.
In the previous draft resolution, which was published on Friday evening, this option for fossils was included along with three others. But the option of not even mentioning the move away from oil, coal and gas was also included in the previous draft.
According to climate activists, an exit decision to comply with the 1.5 degree limit is absolutely necessary. The EU and developing countries and island states particularly affected by climate change are also among the supporters of an exit in Dubai. However, oil states like Saudi Arabia resolutely opposed this.
Youth delegates see “catastrophe”
From Greenpeace Austria’s point of view, the draft is a “severe setback” because the option for a clear fossil fuel phase-out has now completely disappeared, “only a weak concession to reduce fossil energy around 2050 remains.” This is just one of many options that include nuclear power or pseudo-solutions such as carbon storage. “This is not the desperately needed signal that we need in the fight once morest the climate crisis,” criticized Jasmin Duregger, climate and energy expert at Greenpeace in Austria.
WWF Austria described the draft “Global Inventory” as disappointing because it needed an agreement to phase out all fossil energy sources – “not just coal, but also oil and gas. What is now on the table is a lot too little ambitious and does not send the clear political signal that must come from this climate conference, according to WWF climate spokesman Thomas Zehetner. The two Austrian youth delegates saw the draft as “a catastrophe” and said that the COP28 presidency would undermine the Paris climate goals “The EU now has a responsibility to stop this madness,” said Jasmin Lang and David Jablonski in their statement.
