Does COP28 Mark the Beginning of the End for Fossil Fuels?
The agreement reached in Dubai has its flaws. But it still marks an historic moment in the climate fight.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference.
Photographer: Fadel Dawod/Getty Images EuropeThe COP28 climate talks in Dubai ended on Wednesday with a deal that’s being heralded as both "historic" and a "lost opportunity,” as both “strong” and full of “loopholes and shortcomings.” Who's right? Although digesting all the documents, running into several hundred pages, would take time, let me offer some initial observations.
First, kudos to COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirate oil executive, for getting everyone over the line. After three decades of climate diplomacy, it was a petroleum insider who delivered the strongest-ever call for the fossil-fuel industry to change. But as he said on Wednesday, "we are what we do, not what we say." Actions, rather than statements, are needed to fight the climate crisis. And, based on previous experience, little of what’s agreed at the annual United Nations conference translates into real policies — particularly when it costs money.