COP28 leaders agree to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels with ‘historic package’ of measures aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5C

World leaders agreed to “transition away” from fossil fuels for the first time at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai after nearly 200 countries approved a “historic” climate change deal this morning.

Sultan Al Jaber, president of COP28, said delegates had come “a long way in a short period of time.”

The agreement marks the first time in nearly three decades of annual UN climate summits that the world has agreed to language that explicitly limits future use of fossil fuels.

Al Jaber called the climate agreement a “historic package” of measures that offers a “robust plan” to keep the 1.5C target within reach.

“We have achieved a paradigm shift that has the potential to transform our economy,” he said during the final session of the COP28 summit, shortly after the agreement was approved.

COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber hugs UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Still after the draft negotiating agreement was released

A non-binding “global stocktaking” agreement has been discussed over the past two weeks at a conference in the UAE.

He added a warning for countries: “An agreement is only effective if it is implemented. We are what we do, not what we say.”

A non-binding “global stocktaking” agreement has been discussed over the past two weeks at a conference in the UAE, and delegates stayed up until 5am today to get the wording right.

The 21-page, nearly 200-paragraph agreement lays out a path to phase out fossil fuels to “achieve net zero by 2050.”

The signatories committed to “promote… a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a fair, orderly and equitable manner.”

It calls for tripling renewable energy capacity worldwide by 2030, accelerating efforts to reduce coal use and accelerating the deployment of technologies such as carbon capture and storage that can clean up industries that are difficult to carbonize.

Beyond this, there is recognition that global emissions will likely peak before 2025, and developing countries may peak a little later.

The agreement also “affirms” that developed countries support more vulnerable states facing the potential impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels.

Oil, gas and coal currently produce about 80% of the world’s energy, and few can agree on when global demand will peak.

But growing support for renewable energy around the world, along with improving technology, falling costs and rising private investment, has also fueled rapid growth in its adoption.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary-General Haitham Al-Ghais said in a Dec. 6 letter to OPEC members and allies at COP28 that the world must focus on emissions rather than fossil fuels themselves, rallying them to oppose any deal targeting for oil.

Oil producers argue that fossil fuels can be cleaned up from their climate impact using technologies that can capture and store carbon dioxide emissions.

However, carbon capture is expensive and its scale has yet to be proven.