'Phase-out' not part of new COP28 text

The new draft of the COP28 agreement proposed various options but did not refer to a "phase out" of all fossil fuels, which was included in a previous draft

- Jayashree Nandi

A new draft of the global stocktake (GST) text landed on Monday evening, suggesting a range of options for mitigation, but had no references to phasing out fossil fuels, an omission experts said could severely hamper attempts to arrest global warming to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement.

The draft will set the stage for a final round of contentious negotiations, to begin after the final text drops early on Tuesday morning, in the two-week summit in Dubai, which has exposed deep fissures over fossil fuels, climate finance, and adaptation and mitigation measures.

Following the release of the new draft, COP28 president Sultan Al-Jaber called on the attending countries to deliver the highest ambition on all items, including on fossil fuel language.

The new draft of the COP28 agreement, published by the United Arab Emirates' presidency of the summit, proposed various options but did not refer to a phase out of all fossil fuels, which was included in a previous draft.

Instead, it listed eight options that countries could use to cut emissions, including: reducing both consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by or around mid-century.