MEPs are insisting that the COP28 climate agreement is effectively a worldwide commitment to “phase-out” fossil fuels in all but name.
More than 100 countries lobbied to have the words “phase-out” explicitly included within the agreement made on December 13 but the suggestion was shot down by a coalition of OPEC nations led by Saudi Arabia.
Despite the deal only calling for a “transitioning away” from hydrocarbons, the European Parliament’s chief official at the conference Peter Liese MEP claimed the commitment was implicitly agreed.
“The adopted text does not mention the word ‘phase-out’ but it is a ‘phase-out’ of fossil fuels,” the chairman of the European Parliament delegation at COP28 said.
Heléne Fritzon, the vice-chairman of the delegation, claimed the deal represented the “beginning of the end of fossil fuels”, crediting the European Union as the main driver behind the agreement.
“This shift is a result of the EU’s strong stance and alliance with developing countries,” said Frtizon, an S&D group MEP.
He added that the deal allegedly commits countries to “take action now to curb emissions”, with the left-wing parliamentarian adding that would force all involved to update their “national climate plans” before COP29.
European environmentalists have lashed out at COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber over his questioning whether stopping the use of fossil fuels would fundamentally help tackle climate change. https://t.co/D0smLovJps
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 4, 2023
Not all EU representatives were so confident in the COP28 deal.
Speaking to Brussels Signal, Vlaams Belang politician Tom Vandendriessche doubted the notion it was what Eurocrats were looking for, claiming the agreement represented a shift away from the EU’s “green” ideals.
“As expected, there is no phase-out of fossil fuels,” the Flemish politician said.
He did welcome the inclusion of nuclear energy within the agreement, adding that the deal’s backing of that energy source was likely not something most European politicians wanted to see.
“This just goes to show the megalomaniac climate ambitions of the EU are not supported on a global level,” he concluded.
The environmental NGO Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe had a more positive take on the situation, with the group’s director Chiara Martinelli telling Brussels Signal that it was good that MEPs seemed so gung-ho about the agreement.
“We welcome the interpretation by some EU decision-makers that even though the ‘phase-out’ is not explicitly mentioned in the COP28 outcome, this indeed means it,” she said.
“We expect the whole EU and Member States to interpret the outcome in such a way, and act consequently as the only way forward.”
“The replacement of the term ‘phase-out’ with ‘transition away’ in the text should not overshadow the progress made in recognising the urgency of transitioning towards a fully renewable energy system and should not leave space for loopholes or transition fuels,” she went on to say.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also appeared to be optimistic, coming out on Wednesday to celebrate the “successful conclusion” of COP28.
“We have agreed on reducing global emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, in line with the best available science, to keep 1.5 Celsius within reach,” she said.
The chief Eurocrat also heaped praise onto her own climate tsar Wopke Hoekstra, saying that the result of the conference demonstrated “a perfect example of European co-operation, co-ordination and leadership”.
Some 22 countries, including eleven European Union Member States, pledged to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. https://t.co/rHi15VeBgk
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 4, 2023
