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‘Historic’ COP28 Summit Foresees End of Fossil Fuel Era

A rare consensus of opinion at the event is being applauded, criticized, and dismissed by observers at every point on the climate change scale. That consensus was reached at all was still a surprise for most.

COP28 Agreement Signals “Beginning of the End” of the Fossil Fuel Era
COP28 Agreement Signals “Beginning of the End” of the Fossil Fuel Era

Ben Miyares, Packaging SherpaBen Miyares, Packaging SherpaThe U.N.’s 28th annual Climate Change Conference (COP28) did not agree on how best to prevent climate change. It did agree “to transition away from all fossil fuels in energy systems,” a historic if irrelevant declaration. It’s historic because it was the first time the annual conclave addressed fossil fuels in relation to climate change, doing it during a session presided over by one of the world’s largest oil producers; irrelevant because the body lacks enforcement mechanisms.

The agreement is being parsed for clues to its possible repercussions and is still being applauded, criticized, and dismissed by observers at every point on the climate change scale.

That the meeting came to any consensus at all is amazing, since delegates must deliberate under a U.N. protocol mandating a unanimous vote on any declarations. Also surprising was this consensus came in Abu Dhabi, with the United Arab Emirates hosting COP28. What’s more, Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, minister of industry and advanced technology for the UAE, and CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), a UAE-owned oil company that’s one of the world’s biggest, served as president of COP28. 

Some climate advocates are disappointed that COP28 didn’t accomplish more. But others are heartened that even in this oil-rich location, the the summit reached consensus to “transition away” from all fossil fuels in energy systems “in a just, orderly and equitable manner in this critical decade to enable the world to reach net zero emissions by 2050, in keeping with the science.”

The conference didn’t unveil any specific new tactics for lowering global temperatures or sea levels. It did, however, issue a report, called a Global Stocktake, that touts what it sees as its accomplishments, and characterizes some of its failures as as-yet unaccomplished challenges.

Among COP28’s posted achievements generating the loudest headlines was its call to transition away from fossil fuels—the first time a U.N. climate summit broached reducing use of fossil fuels. Although not directly addressed, packaging interests are sensing potential impacts on their operations from COP28’s “transition away” message, as the edited and abridged comments of two of my colleagues will later note.

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