DUBAI: UN climate chief Simon Stiell on Wednesday accused nations of “posturing” at the COP28 talks in Dubai, raising the temperature on negotiators sparring over the thorny issue of fossil fuels.
Pressure is mounting near the end of the first week of the UN negotiations hosted by the oil-rich UAE, with Europe’s climate monitor confirming that 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history.
The European Union called for COP28 to “mark the beginning of the end” of planet-warming fossil fuels.
The latest draft of a global climate agreement is “probably” expected on Wednesday before it is finalised — in theory — on December 12, according to two people familiar with the negotiations, but a definitive timeline remains unclear.
The fate of oil, gas and coal — the main drivers of human-caused planet heating — has been the biggest sticking point on the agenda, and divisions around their future have dominated the conference.
“We have a starting text on the table, but it’s a grab bag of ... wish lists and heavy on posturing,” Stiell said.
“At the end of next week, we need COP to deliver a bullet train to speed up climate action. We currently have an old caboose chugging over rickety tracks,” he told reporters.
Battle lines have previously been drawn on whether to agree to “phase out” or “phase down” fossil fuels.
However the latest text includes a new phrase calling for an “orderly and just” phase-out.
The language could signal a consensus candidate as it would give countries different timelines to cut emissions depending on their level of development and reliance on fossil fuels.
But there is another option: no mention at all of fossil fuels, which reflects opposition from nations including Saudi Arabia, Russia and China, according to several observers who attended the closed meetings.
India on Tuesday evening opposed naming specific sectors or energy sources, one observer said.
One person familiar with the talks said the word “orderly” came from COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, who also heads UAE national oil company ADNOC.
Another observer said China agrees with the language. Europe has called for a harder line.