COP28 still has many disagreements regarding the phase-out of fossil fuels.

Previously, at least 80 countries, including the United States, the European Union, and many poor countries vulnerable to climate change, demanded that the COP28 agreement explicitly call for an end to the use of fossil fuels in the conference's joint declaration.

The COP28 conference has yet to reach a consensus on whether to include the phasing out of fossil fuels such as oil and coal in the joint declaration. Photo: AFP

COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber of host country UAE urged nations late Saturday to speed up efforts to reach a final agreement, saying “there are still more areas of difference than there is consensus.”

OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais previously stated in a letter read at the conference that: "We need practical solutions to address emissions... as well as to boost economic growth, help alleviate poverty and increase resilience."

Earlier this week, the OPEC group of oil-producing countries sent a letter urging members to reject any mention of fossil fuels in the agreement at the COP28 conference.

According to Alden Meyer of the climate change research organization E3G, this is the first time the OPEC Secretariat has intervened in UN climate negotiations with such a letter. “It shows a bit of panic,” he said.

Other countries, including China and India, did not explicitly confirm their commitment to phasing out fossil fuels at COP28, but they have supported the widespread call to promote renewable energy.

China's top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhue, described this year's climate summit as the most challenging of his career. He told reporters, "I've been involved in these climate talks for 16 years. This year's meeting is the most difficult. There are so many issues to address."

He argued that there was little chance of the COP28 conference succeeding if countries could not agree on the future of fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, India's Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, called for "fairness" in any agreement, arguing that wealthy nations should lead global climate action.

A Russian representative said in a speech that Moscow is considering whether a portion of the approximately $300 billion in gold reserves frozen by the West should be used for a "Loss and Damages" fund.

With COP28 scheduled to conclude on Tuesday (December 12), leaders and senior officials from nearly 200 countries currently in Dubai clearly have very little time left to resolve the fossil fuel impasse.

Huy Hoang (according to COP28, Reuters, AFP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cop28-con-nhieu-bat-dong-ve-viec-loai-bo-dan-nhien-lieu-hoa-thach-post275906.html