‘Historic’ COP28 deal to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels adopted
Governments have agreed for the first time ever to “transition away” from fossil fuels to avert the worst effects of climate change, in an “historic” agreement from the COP28 climate summit.
The UN’s climate body, UNFCCC, published the draft text of the deal early on Wednesday morning after negotiations had run well into the small hours in Dubai.
Host nation the United Arab Emirates then quickly rushed it through a closing plenary session, facing no objections.
“Let us finish what we have started,” said COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, as the room erupted in applause.
“We have language on fossil fuels in our final agreement for the first time ever.” He called it “historic”.
Follow latest: Standing ovation after ‘world first’ agreement at COP28
The deal is not legally-binding, but calls on all countries to move away from the use of fossil fuels, for the first time in almost 30 years of COP climate summits.
It does not satisfy the small island states like Samoa and the Marshall Islands who led an earlier push to “phase out” all fossil fuels, which would have been stronger than the “transition away” that was finally agreed.
It also contained loopholes that upset critics, such as allowing a role for “transitional fuels” like gas.
But it still is a big leap forward from anything previously agreed at a COP climate summit.
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Sky News’ climate reporter Victoria Seabrook was inside the closing session of COP28 and said there were “emotional” scenes.
“There were hugs, there were tears. I saw the US climate envoy John Kerry hugging the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock.
“There was a round of applause for the Marshall Islands who were really one of the leading voices calling for this transition away from fossil fuels.”
She added: “Of course, this document does not dictate our entire energy future, but it’s a turning point.
“It’s a very clear signal to countries, to markets, to financiers, about the direction we are going in.”
Mr Kerry has given a news conference where he said there were “times in the last 48 hours when some of us thought (efforts to reach a deal) could fail”.
Taking aim at some COP28 members, he said “not every country is stepping up” and he is “not convinced” a transition to a no-carbon economy will be done quick enough to avoid the “worst consequences” of climate change.
Mr Kerry earlier said the deal sends a “clear, unambiguous message” about “transitioning away from fossil fuels”.
However, he added it “doesn’t mean you have everything solved overnight”.
“I really feel like we’re turning a corner, it’s a big ship you have to turn,” Mr Kerry said.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has welcomed the COP28 agreement, hailing it a “global turning point”.
She specifically praised the adopted special fund for poor nations hurt by climate change.
Meanwhile, the UN’s climate chief Simon Stiell said earlier that the COP28 deal is the “beginning of the end” for fossil fuels, adding there have been some “genuine strides forward” at the summit. However, he warned the initiatives are “not a finish line”.
Joab Okanda, senior climate adviser for Christian Aid, said: “We may not have driven the nail into the coffin here at COP28, but the end is coming for dirty energy.”
However, he said there is a “gaping hole” in the money needed to actually fund the transition from dirty to clean energy in developing countries, meaning the shift will be slower than needed.
The deal specifically calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner… so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”.
The document recognises “the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in line with 1.5C pathways” and calls upon nations to take notice.
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COP28 ‘gave us flowers for our graves’
Saudi Arabia had fought hardest against a fossil fuel phase out, afraid for the future of its oil-based economy.
But developing nations like India and Bolivia were also afraid about making a commitment that could compromise their development, without the finance to make the leap to clean energy.
Eventually the calls from the likes of the small islands, the High Ambition Coalition of developed and vulnerable nations, the UK and the EU for an end to fossil fuels were so noisy overnight that they almost drowned out objections.
Climate deal signals fossil fuels era is coming to an end – but not fast enough
The deal passed almost immediately. It is quite remarkable.
I have been to a lot of these summits and I have never seen one end as quickly and as painlessly as that.
And it did, quickly. It is a remarkable agreement.
For the 30 years this climate summit process has been going on there has been no formal recognition of the fact if we are going to avoid the most dangerous climate change we have to phase out our use of fossil fuels.
That specific language – phasing them out – didn’t quite make it.
It was probably never going to in a region or in a text dominated by fossil fuels – but it did pass, with some slight watering down.
But the headline agreement was how we are going to continue efforts globally to get 1.5C of global warming – hopefully no more than that – by the middle of this century.
What was agreed today was a big step forward. It mentioned fossils fuels. It clearly said they have got to go if we are going to get there.
But there were big caveats – “cavernous loopholes” described by some NGOs, that really allow quite a lot of wriggle room.
For example, they describe the importance of transition fuels, and what does that mean? Well, that’s natural gas – a little offering there for the rich and gas-rich countries to continue their work.
As things currently stand this agreement only takes us about 30% of the way to getting to avoiding 1.5C of global warming, according to the independent International Energy Agency.
So we are definitely not there yet, but it’s a big step forward.
Historic? Yes, the deal mentions fossil fuels.
But possibly historic for the wrong reasons: this was a missed opportunity to phase them out fast enough to avoid that dangerous global warming this process is all about.
The text also makes a nod to “differentiated” responsibility for countries with different means.
The actions in the deal include:
• Tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030
• Rapidly phasing down unabated coal and limiting the permitting of new and unabated coal power generation
• Accelerating efforts globally towards net zero emissions energy systems, utilising zero and low carbon fuels well before or by around mid-century
• Transitioning away from fossil fuels in our energy systems, beginning in this decade, in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science
• Accelerating zero and low emissions technologies, including renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies, such as carbon capture and utilisation and storage particularly in hard to abate sectors, and low carbon hydrogen production, so as to enhance efforts towards substitution of unabated fossil fuels in energy systems
• Accelerating and substantially reducing non-CO2 emissions, including, in particular, methane emissions globally by 2030;
• Accelerating emissions reductions from road transport through a range of pathways, including development of infrastructure and rapid deployment of zero emission vehicles
• Phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions, as soon as possible.
Then, the United Arab Emirates-led presidency, fronted by Sultan al Jaber presented delegates from nearly 200 nations a new central document – called the global stocktake – just after sunrise in Dubai.
Some of the language in previous versions of the draft that most upset nations calling for dramatic action to address climate change was altered.
Actions that had previously been presented as an optional “could” changed to a bit more direct “calls on parties to”.
After a quick debrief, Union of Concerned Scientists climate and energy policy director Rachel Cleetus said it was “definitely an improvement” over earlier versions that environmental advocacy groups like hers had massively criticised.
The aim of the global stocktake is to help nations align their national climate plans with the Paris Agreement.
Headlights illuminate a group of soldiers smoking and drinking steaming cups of coffee on the side of a road in northeastern Ukraine.
A fine sleet on another freezing night falls on the silhouetted barrel of a Soviet-era anti-aircraft gun mounted on an ancient, battered lorry.
These are the men of a mobile air defence unit, preparing for another night of tracking and attempting to shoot out of the skies the Russian drones heading for cities and power plants across Ukraine.
We joined the units over 48 hours in the southern sector of the city of Sumy, near the border with Russia.
Captain Serhii, of the 117th Brigade, is a commander in charge of 160 of these men in eight mobile units protecting this area of northeastern Ukraine.
Commander Serhii looking for drones on his scanner
We met up with him in an empty car park next to a high-rise apartment block in Sumy.
Sitting in his 4×4 he squinted in concentration as his scanner showed a handful of drones on a flight path heading towards us from Russia.
Air raid sirens blared in the background.
He signalled for us to follow, and he sped off into the night weaving through checkpoints along empty, darkened country roads.
He had said the drone was near, but we were confused when he suddenly pulled off the road and jumped out of his cab.
Within moments the skies were lit up by mobile anti-aircraft batteries firing into the sky.
Tracers from the bullets flew over our heads and above us we could hear the monotonous sound of the drone as it passed overhead.
Searchlights reflected off a dank, dense fog that had enveloped the countryside criss-crossed in the sky as the units tried to spot the drone.
They didn’t spot or hit the drone, and slowly the sound of its motors grew dimmer and dimmer until there was silence.
“You can see the current weather conditions, it’s foggy, so we’re basically working off sound alone, as thermal imaging and other devices can’t pick them up,” Captain Serhii told me.
“A spotlight is completely pointless, the speed of these drones isn’t particularly high, so technically, we could hit them, but the weather makes it impossible,” he added.
Every night across Ukraine the tarpaulin covers are pulled off these Soviet-era anti-aircraft guns and prepared for action.
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On battered trucks they rumble into the night to take up defensive positions.
These old guns are the country’s main defence against an increasing number of drone attacks from Russia.
The units here say they mostly encounter two types of drones which are usually deployed at the same time: Gerberas and Shaheds.
Gerberas do not carry an explosive payload but instead are designed to confuse Ukraine’s air defence, while the Iranian-supplied Shahed drones carry explosives with pre-programmed targets.
One of the soldiers, Volodymyr, tracks the drones on a handheld tablet. All the men wait, watch the screen, and listen.
“They generally fly between 200-300m up to 3km,” Volodymyr tells me.
“If they’re flying lower than 300m above sea level, the radar won’t pick them up.”
The men start to gather around their anti-air battery unit as a drone flies closer towards our location.
Stuart Ramsay and Volodymyr
The gunner then jumps onto the truck and searches for the target on a radar attached to his weapon.
He will fire when it’s within a 10km range of his position.
The night-time silence in the middle of the field is suddenly shattered by the deafening sound of firing as the gunner goes for the drone.
Then in the fields all around us other units join the attack – it’s so dark we had no idea they were even there.
It’s absolutely relentless.
Captain Serhii tells me their critical job would be made easier with more sophisticated weapons like the American-made Patriot system.
“We need a stronger, more automated air defence system that operates independently of human involvement,” he said.
“Winter is approaching, and our guys who are on duty 24/7 will face incredibly tough conditions, they aren’t made of steel, so having an automated system would be ideal.”
Anti-aircraft unit firing at drones from their truck
He believes any political negotiations with Russia will just end badly for Ukraine.
“A frozen conflict is typically just a temporary pause, and you can’t trust [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, because any agreement made will likely work in Russia’s favour,” he told me.
“They’ll stockpile resources, more Shaheds, rockets, soldiers, even North Koreans, and then they’ll return, and they’ll come back stronger than they did in 2022.”
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We join another mobile unit, this time by the side of an empty road as they track another Iranian Shahed drone.
It’s flying in our direction and they’re waiting to see if it will come into range.
It does, and they too attack – firing powerful rounds at their target.
The red, orange, and yellow flashes of colour as the weapon fires light up an otherwise pitch-black sky.
In the 48-hour period we spent with the anti-aircraft units in this part of the Sumy region, Russia deployed a record number of drones into Ukraine.
Ukraine, for its part, deployed a record number of drones against Russia too, but the number is dwarfed by the Russian assault.
Night after freezing night these Ukrainian defenders, hundreds of them around this city, will man these guns.
The last line of defence – not good, but better than nothing.
World
Pakistan: Satellite images show smog over Punjab visible from space – as record levels of air pollution recorded
Satellite images show that smog in Pakistan can be seen from space, as the country battles record levels of air pollution.
Images from NASA Worldview show the east of the country cloaked in a toxic haze, with smog also reaching into India’s northern regions and New Dehli.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab region and home to 14 million people, had an air quality index of more than 400 on Tuesday morning, according to IQAir, which tracks global air quality.
Any reading above 300 is considered hazardous – anything between 0 to 50 is considered good.
Earlier in November, parts of Lahore had a reading above 1,900, marking a record high.
No smog was seen in Punjab region on 10 October 2024.
Pic: NASA Worldview
IQAir also reported on Tuesday that the concentration of PM2.5 – microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs and can cause cancer – in Lahore was more than 50 times above recommended guidelines.
The city in eastern Pakistan is often ranked as one of the worst places in the world for air pollution.
More than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments due to the smog.
Pic: Reuters
Regional authorities have banned most outdoor activities, ordered shops to close early, and closed schools and public spaces until 17 November in response to the air pollution.
Health officials said more than 40,000 people have already been treated for respiratory ailments, while hospitals in the region have reported an unprecedented rise in patients with eye and throat irritation and pink eye disease.
Parts of Lahore had an air quality index above 1,900 earlier in November, marking a record high.
Pic: Reuters
It comes as a UN agency warned the health of 11 million children in the Punjab region is at risk if efforts aren’t made to tackle the toxic smog.
Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF’s representative in the country, said in a statement: “Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12% of deaths in children under five in Pakistan were due to air pollution.
“The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.”
Several South Asian countries are engulfed by smog each winter as cold air traps dust, emissions and smoke from farm fires.
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Parts of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh were forced to close schools and businesses last November over air pollution.
A month later, artificial rain was used in Lahore to tackle hazardous smog for the first time.
Thirty-five people have been killed and another 43 injured after a motorist deliberately drove his car into people exercising at a sports centre in the Chinese city of Zhuhai, police said.
A 62-year-old man, identified only by his family name of Fan, was detained at the centre late on Monday.
He was discovered in the car with a knife and wounds to his neck that were thought to be self-inflicted, according to a police statement.
Fan was reported to be unconscious and receiving medical care.
A motive has not been confirmed but police said a preliminary investigation found he was unhappy with the split of financial assets in his divorce.
Officers said a “number of” pedestrians were knocked down in the incident which took place on the eve of of an annual People’s Liberation Army exhibition in the southern Chinese city.
China’s president Xi Jinping has called for “all-out efforts” to treat those injured in the disaster, the country’s state media has said.
Mr Xi also said the perpetrator should be punished in “accordance with the law”.
Meanwhile, one of the four hospitals that took in casualties said it had more than 20 injured, state media reported.
Pic: Kyodo/AP
Video shared on social media showed emergency services performing CPR on people at the scene, as others were told to leave the area.
Some were shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, who is better known on X as Teacher Li. His account posts daily news based on user submissions.
The clips showed dozens of people lying on the sports centre’s running track, with a woman in one saying: “My foot is broken.”
Pic: Kyodo/AP
By Tuesday morning, searches for the incident were heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms.
A search on Weibo for the sports centre only turned up a few posts, with only a couple referring to the fact that something had happened, without pictures or details.
Articles by Chinese media about the incident from Monday night were taken down.
Pic: Kyodo/AP
Chinese internet censors take extra care to check social media ahead of and during major events, such as the meeting of the National People’s Congress, where the government announces its major policy initiatives for the coming year.
The sports centre for the city district of Xiangzhou regularly attracts hundreds of residents, where they can run on the track field, play soccer and take part in social dances. Following the incident, the centre announced that it would be closed until further notice.
China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects appear to target random people such as schoolchildren.
In October, a 50-year-old man was detained after he allegedly used a knife to attack children at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured.
In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket.
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