The COP28 climate summit in Dubai faces potential overtime as negotiators await a new draft deal as countries criticized the previous version for being too weak for omitting a “phase-out” of fossil fuels, Reuters reports.
The goal of the summit is to establish a global plan to combat climate change and limit its impact. The published draft suggested various options to cut emissions, including reducing fossil fuel consumption and production to achieve net zero by 2050. However, it fell short of the “phase-out” demanded by many nations.
Many nations, including Australia, Canada, the EU, and the US criticized the draft as too weak and called for a firm commitment to reduce reliance on coal, oil, and gas. The EU criticized the draft as disappointing and pledged to negotiate for a stronger text, indicating a willingness to continue discussions as long as necessary.
There were concerns about the influence of oil-producing nations, with reports of pressure from Saudi Arabia within the OPEC group to exclude any mention of fossil fuels from the text.
