Deeds must follow COP28’s decisions

To many of the nearly 200 nations attending the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a decision calling for a transition away from fossil fuels was a major diplomatic achievement. To independent observers, it looked like an incremental and obvious decision to try to address the increasing ferocity of climate change. Yet, it is the first time in nearly three decades of United Nations climate talks that these countries have formally acknowledged the role of fossil fuels in driving climate change. And it is the first time these nations have agreed that humanity must shift away from coal, oil and gas and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Throughout the negotiations, there were demands that the final decision text should call for phasing out fossil fuels. But Gulf states, Russia and others were never going to agree to this. So, COP28 is ultimately a compromise. But the outcome is an important foundation to build on. And here lies the greatest challenge: what comes next. The true measure of COP28’s success will be how the world responds this decade to the rapid advance of climate change. The UN climate science panel says greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels must peak by 2025 and fall sharply by 2030, with fossil fuels playing a small role in the global energy system by 2050. For now, emissions from fossil fuels are still rising and set to reach another record in 2023, with this year also the hottest on record.