The COP28 being held in Dubai has also entered "overtime".According to media reports on Tuesday (December 12), according to the original schedule, the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has entered the last day. But negotiators are working on a new draft agreement to bridge the countries' wide differences over fossil fuels. Delegates will then scrutinize every word in the draft, meaning the conference will almost certainly not end on time.
It is worth mentioning that the last conference, COP27, ended two days later than expected due to issues with emission reduction and financing. But compared with COP27, this meeting is even more stressful to reach a meaningful agreement that is acceptable to all parties.
The Associated Press has previously mentioned that many countries called for the "phasing out of fossil fuels" at the meeting, but most oil exporting countries and developing countries firmly opposed this.
It is reported that the organizers released a 21-page draft agreement on Monday, which listed 8 emission reduction measures that countries can take. The United States and the European Union have a clear opposition to this version. They believe that more firm language should be used to "phase out" fossil fuels.
On the other side, Iziaq Kunle Salako, Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Environment, one of the OPEC members, said, “Asking Nigeria or Africa to phase out fossil fuels is asking us to stop breathing without life support. This is unacceptable.”
In a meeting last Sunday, a representative of the Saudi Arabian delegation publicly stated that the COP28 agreement should not select and pick out the source of energy, but should focus on reducing emissions. “We have been expressing concerns about attacks on energy sources.”
But for island nations like the Marshall Islands, the threat of rising sea levels is more pressing. Representative John Silk of the Marshall Islands pointed out, "We are not here to sign a death warrant. We are not going to go to the grave silently."
COP28 Chairman Sultan Jaber said at an impromptu press conference yesterday that negotiators from various countries have made progress in the negotiations in the past few days, but he believes that "the speed is not fast enough" and needs to be significantly accelerated.
Sultan Jaber added that there is currently no agreement among all parties on whether to phase out or reduce fossil fuels. He called on all parties to take urgent action to promote the early implementation of this agenda. Although the time is tight and the task is heavy, he is optimistic that this conference will achieve positive results.
Some people believe that allowing countries that rely heavily on oil, such as Saudi Arabia, to participate in the discussion can be considered a great progress.
Majid Al-Suwaidi, director-general of COP28, said at a briefing: "What we see is a combination of deep persistence and serious differences in the views of the parties involved, especially on the rhetoric on fossil fuels."