EU eyes push for fossil fuel phasedown ahead of COP28 — draft document

BRUSSELS — European Union international locations might search help for an settlement to part down fossil fuels forward of this 12 months’s United Nations (UN) local weather change talks, in response to officers and a draft document seen by Reuters.

Whereas final 12 months’s COP27 summit deal included a hard-fought fund for international locations harmed by local weather change, the deal left some disenchanted for not together with language initially proposed by India for phasing down the usage of all fossil fuels together with oil and pure fuel.

EU nation diplomats are negotiating conclusions to information their diplomacy on local weather change this 12 months. 

On the desk is an settlement to advertise a shift away from so-called unabated fossil fuels, these burned with out utilizing know-how to seize their planet-warming emissions, in response to a draft seen by Reuters.

“While natural gas has a role in the transition, the shift towards a climate neutral economy requires unabated fossil fuel consumption to peak already in the near term. The EU will systematically promote a global move towards energy systems free of unabated fossil fuels well ahead of 2050,” the draft says.

EU officers mentioned the purpose was to make a fossil gasoline part down a part of the bloc’s diplomacy priorities forward of COP28, the UN local weather summit starting Nov. 30 in Dubai. International locations’ international affairs ministers purpose to approve remaining conclusions this month.

The bloc has but to achieve an settlement, nevertheless, as some EU international locations are in search of weaker wording whereas others desire a stronger, extra specific name to part out fossil fuels, the officers mentioned.

International locations agreed at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 to part down use of coal, essentially the most polluting fossil gasoline. 

India’s COP27 proposal to broaden that to all fossil fuels gained help from greater than 80 governments, together with EU international locations, however was opposed by Saudi Arabia and different oil- and gas-rich international locations.

The ultimate COP27 deal repeated the pledge to part down coal energy, however didn’t point out oil or fuel.

Some officers and activists have mentioned they fear the same dynamic may play out this 12 months at COP28, which is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, an OPEC oil producer.

The world should considerably scale back fossil gasoline power use this decade as a way to keep away from essentially the most devastating impacts of local weather change, UN scientists say.

The EU additionally plans to replace its 2030 emissions-cutting goal beneath the Paris local weather accord, and set a brand new one for 2040 to information international locations towards the aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. — Reuters

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