Today, Tuesday, is officially the last day of this 28th climate conference in Dubai. On Monday afternoon, the UAE presidency presented a new proposal for a final text. The 21-page document was delivered late and after numerous consultations by the summit president Sultan Al Jaber created with delegations from around the world.
© Image: EPA/ALI HAIDER
The text contains the following points: It no longer foresees the exit of coal, oil and gas, as was mentioned as a possibility in previous versions. Now we only talk about reducing the consumption and production of fossil fuels. Strange as it may be, this project includes fossil fuels for the first time since the 28th climate conference – and oil countries like Saudi Arabia will probably accept it.
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It can also be read that a “reduction in both the use and production of fossil fuels” is planned, which must be done in a “fair and orderly” way, in order to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality “by, before or around 2050.”
Perhaps equally, if not more important: there is also talk of a tripling of renewable energies worldwide by 2030. The logic here is that it is impossible to demand an end to fossil fuels without massively promoting climate-neutral energies. The call to double energy efficiency by 2030 is more difficult. It is not yet clear how this objective should be quantified.
Climate neutrality
At least science-based CO2 emissions reduction targets are recognized, namely minus 43 percent by 2030, minus 60 percent by 2035 and net zero by 2050, all compared to 2019 emissions. But it is also clearly stated that those promised by all states so far, emissions reductions are not enough.
Most states are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied because the text is too weak. Climate Commissioner declared for the EU Wobke Hoekstra Despite her disappointment with the text, Austria's Climate Minister, Leonore Gewessler, concluded that the “project presented does not do justice to the seriousness of the situation. This urgently needs to be improved and we will demand it.” Climate NGOs massively criticized the project.
Wobke Hoekstra
© Image: APA – Austrian Press Agency
However, the draft presented will not be the final text. There will be revised texts today, Tuesday and perhaps Wednesday. What is interesting is to what extent the chief negotiator, Al Jaber, can restrict the current draft so that vulnerable states can also agree, but not to such an extent that oil states like the Saudis or Russia say no. Reason: UN conferences require a consensus on the final document, so that no one can be against it.
So the next 24 to 48 hours are going to be exciting. In fact, they have to, because a somewhat Christmas-like “winterland,” with reindeer and artificial snow, is scheduled to open at the climate conference site by Friday at the latest.