UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday that the era of fossil fuels “must end” and that science suggests there is no way to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) without eliminating fossil fuel use. It has been shown that it is impossible to contain, he added.
“Whether we like it or not, the phasing out of fossil fuels is inevitable.” he wrote to x. “Let’s hope it’s not too late.”
The COP28 climate summit was controversial from the start. The host country, the UAE, is rich in oil resources, and the conference chairman, Sultan Al Jaber, is the CEO of the UAE’s national oil company ADNOC.
At the beginning of the conference, Al-Jabbar addressed criticism at an online event in late November, claiming there was “no science” to support the need to phase out fossil fuels to curb global warming. I took a bath. As first reported by the Guardian.
The incident comes amid waning confidence that oil companies are working to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Big oil and gas companies have previously signaled they would do their part to transition to clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but over the past year they have walked back many of those claims. Critics have accused the industry of “greenwashing,” even as companies ramp up exploration and hundreds of new oil and gas projects are approved around the world.
Throughout the meeting, which culminated in extension negotiations, critics questioned how much could have been accomplished on fossil fuels when it was held in Dubai and led by Al Jaber. These concerns came to the forefront when it became clear that the final deal did not commit to phasing out fossil fuels.
Although the phrases “migration” and “phasing out” are similar, there are important differences between them. Phasing means that their use in the energy system is eventually eliminated, whereas “transition” represents a compromise, meaning that their use is reduced but still continues .
Nate Hartmann, a former State Department official and founder and director of the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability, said an open question heading into the meeting is whether world leaders will seriously discuss the future of fossil fuels. He said that.
“There was a risk that it could have been an exercise to avoid problems,” he said.
But Hartmann said countries should “transition” away from fossil fuels in an equitable manner, triple the amount of renewable energy installed by 2030 and step up leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. He said the final agreement he is seeking makes clear that: World leaders actually envisioned a future without fossil fuels.
“The results show that this issue was not only substantively discussed, but also highlighted in the document. There are good and strong elements,” said Hartmann, who attended the 21st COP this year. Told. “Sending this kind of signal about the transition away from fossil fuels is going to be important.”
Still, the agreement is not legally binding, and its critics, especially leaders of poor developing and island nations that are disproportionately affected by climate change, argue that it does not eliminate fossil fuels. , says it is not enough to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Global warming.
Many climate scientists and activists have expressed frustration that calls for the “phasing out” of fossil fuels have been significantly weakened.
“While the COP28 consensus rightly emphasizes nature as a solution, it is unfortunate that it does not recognize the need to phase out the use of fossil fuels,” said the nonprofit National Wildlife Refuge. said Mustafa Santiago Ali, the federation’s executive vice president for conservation and justice. he said in a statement Wednesday.
Emotions were further heightened when the draft agreement was published earlier this week.goa I wrote it on Monday’s X. “COP28 is now on the brink of complete failure.”
Over the past 30 years, countries have finally realized that in order to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by around 2050 and avoid the worst consequences of climate change, countries need to transition away from fossil fuels. It was first agreed upon at the United Nations Summit.
It was hailed as a major milestone, as it merely touched on an issue that had been an issue at previous COP meetings.
“The fact that the phasing out of fossil fuels is now at the center of the international scene is in itself unimaginable five years ago, and is a huge step forward,” said the director of the Stockholm Environmental Research Institute and senior scientist. Michael Lazarus said. , based in Seattle. “That means fossil fuels now have an expiration date, an expiration date. We are at a point where we can envision a transition away from fossil fuels.”
Lazarus said the consensus nature of international processes – in which all countries participating in the deliberations have a de facto veto – makes global progress difficult.
“People talk about how it’s just words and not actions, but the arguments that come out of these international conferences have incredible resonance and have the power to change the conversation,” Lazarus said. Told. “Unless we have a sense of global action to phase out fossil fuels and reduce emissions across the board, countries will not have the same incentives to act in the ways they need to.” I guess.”
Source: www.nbcnews.com
