Matthew Dalton, Stacy Meichtry, and Sha Hua of The Wall Street Journal are reporting that the United Arab Emirates has brokered a compromise that calls for a clean energy shift to accelerate this decade. They write:
More than 190 governments at the United Nations climate conference approved an agreement Wednesday calling for the world to transition away from fossil fuels, sending an unprecedented signal to the global economy that governments are intent on cutting back on coal, oil and natural gas in the fight against global warming.
The deal, the result of two weeks of negotiations, calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” It says the shift to clean energy for the global economy should accelerate this decade with the aim of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Scientists say that is crucial to fulfilling the Paris accord, the landmark climate agreement that calls for governments to attempt to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures.
“We should be proud of our historic achievement,” said Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company who is running COP28, in a closing address that garnered a standing ovation from many delegates. “We have delivered a robust action plan to keep 1.5 within reach.”
The deal marks the first time a U.N. climate agreement has called for governments to cut back on all fossil fuels. […]
Some environmentalists immediately praised the new language on fossil fuels. The “text sends a strong signal that world leaders recognize that a sharp turn away from fossil fuels toward clean energy in this critical decade and beyond, aligned with the science, is essential to meet our climate goals,” said Rachel Cleetus, an economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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