The preliminary agreement for the 28th United Nations Climate Summit has been published.
The United Nations’ climate organization has released a preliminary version of its expected final agreement from the COP28 climate conference, concluding on Tuesday.
The draft has been criticized by activists for deviating from the expected language and lacking measures to address the global warming that is causing sea levels to rise, more frequent droughts, and other dangerous trends that put millions of people at risk worldwide.
Activists are particularly displeased with the draft, authored by the COP28 presidency led by a CEO from an Emirati oil company, for not including a plan to gradually eliminate all fossil fuels. This request had been made by more than 100 countries.
The draft states that nations should work towards eliminating inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels, which promote unnecessary consumption and fail to address energy poverty or smooth transitions, as soon as possible.
The presidency of COP28 considered the draft to be a success and described it as a “significant step forward.”
A demonstrator displays a banner opposing the use of fossil fuels at a gathering for the COP28 United Nations Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on December 11, 2023.
COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber stated that there is a text that needs to be finalized through mutual agreement. He emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that the time for deliberation is almost over and there is no room for indecision. The time to make a decision is immediate.
Conversations are currently taking place and it is anticipated that the summit will conclude by 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The focus of the talks is on fossil fuels.
Steven Guilbeault, the Canadian environment minister and one of eight “super-negotiators,” stated that for the conference to be considered a success, there must be some consensus reached on the use of fossil fuels. The presidency of the conference acknowledges this as a crucial factor.
Guilbeault stated that if we are unable to accomplish this, it may be viewed as a failure by others, despite having reached agreements on many other positive aspects.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, urged attendees at COP28 to work harder and faster to reach an agreement before the event ends.
Guterres stated that we cannot continue to delay addressing the issue at hand. We have reached the end of the road and are running out of time.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to the information in this report.
Source: voanews.com
