COP28 Goes Into Overtime As Talks Fail To Bridge Rift On Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

The clock ran out on this year's climate conference in Dubai on Tuesday with no consensus, forcing the COP28 presidency to go into overtime and hammer out a fifth draft text in a last attempt to resolve differences that could otherwise cripple collective efforts to fight the climate crisis.

- Jayashree Nandi

At the heart of the issue was whether the world committed to the "phase-out" of fossil fuels, an ask that developing countries and petrostates have been wary of since wealthier nations have failed to deliver on their obligation of providing climate finance.

The blocs are, thus, almost neatly split between developing and developed nations. But what both sides agree on is that without the other doing their part, the ultimate goal of keeping average temperatures from exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era average will be at peril.

Matters came to a head late on Monday when the COP28 presidency released a fourth draft without any mention of the need to phase out fossil fuels, prompting some countries (mostly wealthy ones) to threaten a walk-out.

"As you know, yesterday [Monday] we released a text. As you also know, lots of Parties felt it did not fully address their concerns. We expected that. We wanted the text to spark conversations... and that is what happened," said COP28 director-general Majid AI Suwaidi on Tuesday afternoon, calling this year's talks as the most demanding.

"And what we are seeing, right now, is everybody working through that agenda. AIl COPS are challenging. But at this COP, we are trying to do something that has never been done before... something historic," he said, adding that the strategy was to agree to a comprehensive plan to close the gaps between where the world is, and where it needs to be to keep 1.5°C goal within reach.

"That is our North Star. That has been our North Star all along. Part of this is to include language on fossil fuels in the text. If we can, that would be historic."