The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Past Event
2023-12-14
COP28 Phase-out our demands, Final agreement fails to safeguard the 1.5°C
After 23 hours of overtime, COP28 reached a final agreement. Anne Rasmussen, the Lead Negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) from Samoa, declared at the closing that "we didn't want to interrupt you," but the final agreement hastily adopted ended up phasing out the demands of 39 small island developing states most affected by climate change.
CarbonCare InnoLab has been closely following the entire negotiation process on-site, witnessing the gradual phase-out, not of "fossil fuels," but rather the phasing out of the demands put forth by developing countries and civil society. In the initial version on December 5, there were mentions of "phasing out fossil fuels" and "phasing out unabated fossil fuels." Additional conditions were added on December 8, reinforcing the idea of phasing out fossil fuels. However, on December 11, due to pressure from oil-exporting countries, all language related to reducing and phasing out fossil fuels was removed, leading to dissatisfaction and protests from both developing and developed nations. Finally, on December 13, the final version was released, which replaced the previous wording with "transitioning away from fossil fuels." " It seems that you gavelled the decisions, and the small island developing states were not in the room." said Anne Rasmussen, making a last-ditch effort to reiterate their one demand at COP28: to ensure that 1.5 is safeguarded in a meaningful way.
The agreement is filled with vague and non-binding terms of 'acknowledge,' 'affirm,' 'encourage,' and 'request.’
However, the final agreements spin the story, as the agreement text is filled with vague and non-binding terms of "acknowledge," "affirm," "encourage," and "request," allowing for the adoption of expensive and cost-ineffective carbon capture technologies and costly and risky nuclear energy. What's more, while proposing "transitioning away from fossil fuels," the agreement also affirms the role of "transitional fuels" in energy transformation. This bundled energy transition allows "natural gas" to claim the banner of a "transitional energy source" and continue to dominate unchecked, trapping us in the dilemma of being unable to break free from fossil fuels.
The confusion also arises between global adaptation goals and climate financing. COP28 reveals a significant gap between governments' understanding of climate change and their actions, as they only make minor adjustments and fail to meet the enormous demands of climate action. The final agreement fails to guarantee sufficient climate financing for developing countries, with the "Loss and Damage" fund receiving commitments of only US$700 million, far less than the actual requirement of 0.2% of the US$40 trillion needed. What we know is that the commitment made in 2009 to provide US$100 billion annually to developing countries still lacks sufficient evidence of implementation. Climate financing at COP28 provides minimal substantive support for developing countries.
"COP28 ends, the phase-out of fossil fuels once again falls short."
While the mainstream media celebrated the final agreement's inclusion of "transitioning away from fossil fuels" and hailed it as a historic victory and the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era, we must alert everyone that this small step does not secure the 1.5°C bottom line. Delegates from CarbonCare InnoLab witnessed how the lobbyists of the fossil fuel industry hindered the elimination of fossil fuels and energy transition during the conference, observing the influence of the "giant behind the climate crisis" step by step, gradually eliminating our demands.
Science clearly tells us that the only way to achieve the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is by phasing out the use of fossil fuels. As COP28 concludes, the elimination of fossil fuels once again falls short, but we have no choice. As part of the international civil society, CarbonCare InnoLab is committed to standing firm on the bottom line and continuing to fight for the fast, fair, and just phase-out of all fossil fuels, safeguarding vulnerable communities and saving our human civilization!