The final declaration from the UN climate summit in Dubai is ready. It is a farewell to fossil fuels – albeit a hesitant one. Nevertheless, the conference participants are largely satisfied with the result.
The World Climate Conference in Dubai (COP28) has decided on the “transition” away from fossil fuels. It is the first decision at a UN climate conference that affects the future of all fossil energies. However, states like the EU were unable to enforce their demand to anchor a global exit from all fossil fuels with the word “phase-out” against the bitter resistance of oil states like Saudi Arabia.
Countries like the US and Germany welcomed the compromise, while the United Nations and called on the small island states to take more far-reaching steps.
An overview of the reactions:
COP28 Presidency:
“We have the basis for transformative change,” said Emirati COP President Sultan Ahmed al Jaber. He spoke of a “historical achievement“.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock:
“This text is for us as European Unionas Germany is just a beginning.” Germany and the EU have not only decided to phase out fossil fuels, but also to support the most vulnerable countries in the world. “We have decided that we can only build the future of our children together can save.”
European Union:
The “historic” agreement marks the beginning of the “post-fossil era,” explained EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The world has confirmed the EU’s goals of tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
French President Emmanuel Macron:
The decision of the World Climate Conference is an important step that will commit the world to a fossil-free transition by tripling renewable energy and recognizing the key role of nuclear power, Macron wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This is a first and a step forward in adhering to the Paris Agreement.” Macron called out: “Let’s speed up!”
Environmental associations:
German environmentalists see the COP28 resolutions mostly positively – but criticize a number of loopholes. The UN meeting marks the beginning of the end for the oil, gas and coal industries – “no more, no less,” said Martin Kaiser from Greenpeace. Viviane Raddatz from the WWF said: “The time to pour unlimited fuel on the fire is over.” For the first time, the core problem of the climate crisis will be identified at a UN climate conference. Oxfam expert Jan Kowalzig called the resolutions a good basis, which of course now needs to be reflected in concrete policy. The rich countries should act much faster and more comprehensively than the low-income countries – which generally have hardly contributed to the climate crisis.
Fridays for Future:
Spokeswoman Luisa Neubauer said the climate movement had fought hard for this global shift away from fossil fuels. Given the resistance of the fossil fuel lobby, this is a big step. Nevertheless, the climate conference showed “that the profits of oil companies have to date been protected more successfully than the most affected regions of the world.”
China:
Beijing assigned industrialized countries an “indisputable historical responsibility for climate change.” Chinese Vice Environment Minister Zhao Yingmin said these countries “must therefore take the lead and adopt the 1.5 degree Celsius path before the rest of the world.”
UNITED STATES:
US climate envoy John Kerry praised the agreement as a hopeful sign. In times of wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, “multilateralism” has set the course for the “common good,” said Kerry.
German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK):
The agreement at the World Climate Conference in Dubai is a positive signal for German companies. International climate protection is likely to gain further momentum as a result, explained DIHK President Peter Adrian. In particular, the commitment to faster expansion of renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency could offer German technology providers new opportunities worldwide
Andreas Jung, CDU vice-chairman:
“The federal government has advocated for more commitment in Dubai, and it must not undermine that at home: the plans to gut the climate protection law must now be taken off the table,” said Jung, who is also the energy and climate protection policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
Michael Bloss, Green in the EU Parliament:
“For the first time since the beginning of the UN climate conferences, the end of fossil fuels is being heralded cautiously. Due to the massive influence of lobbyists and the representation of the oil states’ own interests, it is not a clear commitment to the end of coal, oil and gas in all sectors “The world desperately needs to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. But it’s a start.” This refers to the goal agreed in Paris in 2015 to limit global warming to, if possible, less than 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era.
Federal Environment Agency President Dirk Messner:
Messner supports the UN Climate Change Conference’s call to move away from fossil fuels. “The international community is finally recognizing what science has been demanding for a long time,” he said. The fossil age must come to an end in order to prevent dangerous climate change, secure prosperity and preserve future prospects for future generations.
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra:
It is a day to rejoice that “humanity has finally done what was long, long overdue,” said the European Union’s chief negotiator at the plenary session in Dubai. They spent 30 years ushering in “the beginning of the end of fossil fuels.” The conclusion of the climate conference is a day of gratitude and satisfaction. “Because when we’re all gone, our children and their children will have to live with what we left behind, the good and the bad.”
Representatives of the Pacific Island States:
“We cannot return to our islands with the message that this process has betrayed us,” said Anne Rasmussen, Samoa’s representative. “The course correction we needed has not been achieved.” The island states, which are particularly threatened by rising sea levels, feel left out of the decision at the World Climate Conference. Rasmussen said the group of island nations had yet to coordinate and were not in the room in time to take a stand. Shortly before, the conference president of the United Arab Emirates had surprisingly quickly approved the published draft text with a hammer blow right at the beginning of the plenary session.
Climate summit review
35 years of hesitation: These were the key moments in the fight against global warming
UN climate chief Simon Stiell:
A decision in the right direction, but not quite enough: “Even if we have not ended the age of fossil fuels in Dubai, this result is the beginning of the end.” The planet is currently heading towards warming of almost three degrees compared to pre-industrial times. “This still means great human suffering, which is why COP28 should have gone a step further.”
Arabic countries:
The group of Arab states called the agreement a “great success.” The head of the Saudi delegation, Albara Tawfik, speaking on behalf of the group, expressed “gratitude” and pointed to the mention of technologies for capturing and storing climate-damaging carbon dioxide in the text of the agreement.