Heated discussions have been going on at the COP28 on the need to phase out fossil fuel or not . This led to a clash between countries. Several countries including Saudi Arabia and Russia insist that the conference focus on reducing pollution, rather than targeting the fossil fuel causing it.
While, not less than 80 countries including the United States, the European Union and many poor, climate-vulnerable nations are demanding that a COP28 deal call clearly for an eventual end to fossil fuel use.
Other countries including India and China have not explicitly endorsed a fossil fuel phase-out at COP28, but have backed a popular call for boosting renewable energy, according to Reuters.
Earlier this week, OPEC sent a letter urging its members and allies to reject any mention of fossil fuels in the final summit deal, warning that “undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point.” But this did not go well with the EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, who criticised the letter as “out of whack” with climate efforts.
Climate-vulnerable countries said rejecting a fossil fuel mention at COP28, is a threat to the whole world. Marshall island’s climate envoy, added that nothing put the future of people on earth at risk like the fossil fuels.
China’s top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhue, described this year’s climate summit as the hardest in his career. “,Ihave participated in these climate negotiations for 16 years,” he told journalists. “The hardest meeting is this year’s. There are so many issues to settle.”
There was little chance the summit would be called a success if nations could not agree to one language on the future of fossil fuels, He said.
