COP28
UN climate conference has been extended
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock considers the final draft to be inadequate. photo
© Hannes P. Albert/dpa
At the climate conference, Germany and other countries want to set an exit from coal, oil and gas as a goal in the fight against climate change. But there is no consensus.
On Monday evening, Al-Jaber, who is also the head of the state oil company, presented a draft that the EU, the federal government and dozens of other countries classified as disappointing and inadequate. Environmental associations also reacted overwhelmingly with outrage and called for improvements.
What is exciting is that the draft text no longer mentions the phase-out of coal, oil and gas demanded by more than 100 countries – unlike in previous versions. The UN meeting with around 97,000 participants began on November 30th.
Concerns about the exit decision
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said an extension would not be a problem for the European delegation. “We have time. And we are prepared to stay a little longer,” said the Green politician.
A number of countries have recently expressed concerns about a decision to phase out fossil fuels, including oil-rich Saudi Arabia, but also China, Iraq, India and Russia.
After criticism, a new draft text is drawn up
After the criticism, the presidency of COP28 wants to present an improved version. This was announced by the Director General of the UN meeting, Majid Al-Suwaidi. The criticism was expected, he said. “In fact, we wanted the text to stimulate conversation – and that’s exactly what happened.” There are very different views, especially when it comes to language around fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
Former US Vice President and climate veteran Al Gore criticized the alleged influence of the oil states on the current draft. “It is even worse than many feared,” Al Gore wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after the text was published on Monday evening. “The world absolutely needs to phase out fossil fuels, but this submissive draft reads as if OPEC dictated it word for word.”