More than 120 countries want to strengthen measures that prevent the health-endangering consequences of climate change. However, the explanation has gaps. And a statement from the climate summit president is also irritating.
At the World Climate Conference there is a tough struggle for the global phase-out of coal, oil and gas. Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressly called for this move away from fossil fuels during his flying visit to Dubai at the weekend.
According to a report, the COP28 host from the United Arab Emirates doubts whether the exit is scientifically necessary in order to achieve climate protection goals. Observers and climate activists reacted with outrage. And they would like to see more determination from the SPD chancellor, who campaigned as “climate chancellor,” in the fight against global warming.
Several environmental associations welcomed Scholz’s signal to phase out fossil fuels. The Chancellor said on Saturday: “We must now all show a firm determination to get out of fossil fuels – first and foremost coal. We can set sail for this at this climate conference.”
Climate activists see a gap between words and actions
But these words don’t fit with “the fact that the federal government is working against the Paris Agreement by building new fossil fuel infrastructure for the import of liquid gas and, at the same time, is undermining the climate protection law,” said Jan Kowalzig from the development organization Oxfam. “The Chancellor wisely kept this quiet.” WWF climate chief Viviane Raddatz added that the climate conference with around 200 countries is not just about signals, but above all about implementation. “Urgency and Scholz’s composure don’t go together here.”
The German section of Fridays for Future, with several activists in Dubai, described it as a success in urging Scholz to mention the fossil fuel phase-out at a personal meeting. Luisa Neubauer also called on the Chancellor to create “a 100 billion euro special fund for climate protection and socially just transformation.”
Fossil phase-out very controversial
However, it is unlikely that the countries of the world will actually be able to agree on a global exit from coal, oil and gas in Dubai – especially since the conference president Sultan Al-Jaber plays a questionable role as head of the state oil company. The British “Guardian” and the “Centre for Climate Reporting” reported that in November he said in a video link with UN representatives, among others, that there was “no science” to prove that the phase-out of fossil fuels was necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. He also claimed that development without the use of fossil fuels was not possible “if you don’t want to catapult the world into the Stone Age.” Climate scientists and activists reacted with outrage, with some once again questioning his suitability as a host.
“This story is just another attempt to undermine the presidency’s agenda, which is clear and transparent” and has achieved “tangible successes,” said a COP28 spokesman at the request of the German Press Agency. “We are not sure what this report is supposed to say. Nothing in it is new or breaking news.” It continued: “The COP President is clear that the gradual phase-out of the use of fossil fuels is inevitable and that we must keep the 1.5 degree target within reach.”
In a previous reaction to the Guardian report, the presidency said that Al-Jaber had referred to the fact that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also assumed in its scenarios that fossil fuels would continue to play a role in the energy system of the future – albeit a smaller one.
Blocking oil and gas producers
A front is already emerging among the negotiating states that absolutely wants to prevent the exit: Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iraq, as oil and gas exporters, are opposing it, according to activists. The countries openly expressed their rejection in initial negotiations, according to the non-governmental organization Destination Zero and other observers.
For Pacific island states like Tuvalu, the fossil fuel phase-out is about livelihoods: The Prime Minister of the state with a good 11,000 inhabitants, Kausea Natano, called for an immediate stop to all new oil and gas drilling – followed by a rapid phase-out of all fossil fuels. The highest point in Tuvalu is only two meters above sea level, and up to 40 percent of the country’s area is already often flooded. Its citizens wanted to be able to continue living on their land in the future.
The Prime Minister of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, added: “Today’s weapons of mass destruction are not bombs, but rising temperatures, scorching droughts and steady sea level rise – all consequences of greed and indifference.”
Instead of coal, oil and gas, more renewables and nuclear power
Less controversial than saying goodbye to fossil fuels is the goal of tripling energy production from renewables worldwide by 2030 and doubling the rate of energy efficiency. However, many countries also want to rely more on nuclear power in order to cover their energy needs in the future: all G7 countries except Germany and Italy, among others, announced that they want to triple their capacities here by 2050. In total, more than 20 countries signed the joint declaration.