The 28th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) will draw to a close in Dubai today. The agenda for discussion is likely to be the first draft of the Global Stocktake (GST) which was released by the United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the summit on Monday evening.
Many deem it to be the most critical document to emerge out of COP 28. Following the release of the document, COP28 President Sultan Al-Jaber emphasised that the participating countries should deliver the highest ambition on all items including the fossil fuel language.
Notably, the draft omits any mention of the phrase “phase out” or “phase-down” of fossil fuels. While coal is brought up in the text, there is no reference to oil and gas which produce about 55 percent of all global emissions.
Experts say this could obstruct attempts to limit average global to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels as agreed under the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015. Although, the draft does suggest countries could reduce the production and consumption of fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable environment to achieve net zero in the upcoming decades. Several countries and the European Union have emphasised that a deal to “phase out all fossil fuels” would be the signal success for COP28.
