Abstract:
The COP28 conference, held in Dubai, produced the "UAE Consensus," a document that, while acknowledging the need to transition away from fossil fuels, lacks the definitive targets and clear objectives that marked the Paris Agreement from COP21. Despite incorporating language addressing fossil fuel production for the first time, the text remains overly consensual and subject to varied interpretations, influenced by oil-producing nations' strategic interests. The conference highlighted the persistent challenges posed by the fossil fuel industry and underscored the incremental progress made in global climate negotiations.
Description:
The final text of COP28, termed the "UAE Consensus," represents a significant yet insufficient step in addressing global climate change. Unlike the definitive "Paris Agreement" from COP21, this document reflects the complex trilemma faced by oil-producing countries, particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which balance sustaining their fossil fuel industries, preparing for renewable energy technologies, and delaying these technologies' widespread adoption. The conference achieved some successes in adaptation and loss and damage but fell short on establishing clear mitigation targets, particularly concerning fossil fuel production and coal phase-out. The UAE Consensus marks a rhetorical shift but remains encumbered by the influence of fossil fuel interests and lacks the binding commitments necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
