Last day of COP28 marked by intense negotiations and uncertainty over results

Dubai, Dec 12 (EFE). – Intense negotiations and uncertainty weighed on the United Nations climate summit (COP28) in Dubai on Tuesday, after delegates spent the entire day trying to fix a draft resolution that had drawn criticism for its unambitious language on phasing out fossil fuels.

The original deadline of 11:00 am Dubai time to end the meeting passed as delegates continued to meet behind closed doors with COP28 President Sultan al Jaber and his team, as well as other negotiating groups, to adjust strategies and analyze proposals.

So far, the «Global Balance», the central document expected to emerge from this meeting, has not been released, and it seems unlikely that this will happen on Tuesday, given the late hour in Dubai.

Several negotiating sources told EFE that although a new draft is expected, it will still have to be reviewed by the parties and then, if the COP28 presidency deems it appropriate, go through the plenary session to see if all 198 parties to the summit accept the resolution.

It is also not clear whether a meeting will be convened on Wednesday morning.

On Monday, the release of the COP28 «Global Balance» proposal sparked a wave of criticism, even calling it «insufficient» or even «disappointing», already predicting a prolongation of the negotiations far beyond what was originally planned.

The energy package is the major point of contention, dealing with what countries must do to reduce emissions by 43 percent by 2030, as scientists say is necessary to limit global warming in time to avoid exceeding one and a half degrees Celsius this century.

Monday’s draft was considered » fully unacceptable» by the EU and other delegations.

The representative of the Marshall Islands, John Silk, was outraged and expressed the urgency for «island states», pointing out that the current policy is a «death sentence» and that the goals are «far off track».

“We will not go silently to our watery graves. Therefore, we cannot and will not accept an outcome from this COP that does not set us on a course for a future that stays within the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature limit and leads to a more resilient world,” Silk siad.

Starting point

In a press conference at midday press conference on Tuesday, COP28 Director General Majid al-Suwaidi said «The text we released was a starting point for discussions.»

“When we released it, we knew opinions were polarized, but what we didn’t know was where each country’s red lines were,” he added.

Al Suwaidi acknowledged that the draft showed that «parties have deeply divided views, particularly on the language around fossil fuels.»

The COP28 director acknowledged that there are those who want a phase-out, while others want a phase-down, but the goal is to «reach a consensus» and avoid blocking the process.

Miscalculation

In an interview with EFE, the Colombian Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, indicated that the problem with the draft is due to the fact that the presidency of the meeting «did not calculate that the final debate would focus on fossil fuels,» which has unleashed a great «political tension».

«I think that perhaps the presidency never expected, or rather did not calculate, that this COP would end up being about fossil fuels in the most important region of fossil fuel production. And that creates political tension. That is the problem,» said Muhamad.

In this sense, she explained that there are two defined blocs in the context of the negotiations: «The resistance of the producing countries (of fossil fuels) and the consciousness of many, the majority, who are aware of the emergency of the moment.»

Muhamad recalled that many of the negotiators, such as Colombia, but also for the European Union (EU) or the island states and least developed countries, which will not be able to leave the meeting «with a soft message in the face of the scientific reality of climate change and its causes».

The minister said that the key to unblocking the meeting lies in the options for energy transition of these countries.

«The way forward is to consider the differences and understand that we have to face the difficulty of this transition because there are entire economies that depend on the export and production of fuels,» she said.

In particular, she asked that the issue of financing be resolved so that the countries concerned «can have the capacity to make the transition.»

«But at the same time, according to the science, the deadline is very tight. These are the political tensions and that’s what the COP is about,» she explained. EFE

amr/mcd