‘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.
World
Brutal murder on ‘date’ exposes robbery gang suspected of targeting dozens of women in South Africa
Thirty-year-old Olorato Mongale made sure to take all the measures necessary for a safe first date in South Africa’s biggest city, Johannesburg.
She had agreed to meet ‘John’ in the daytime. She sent her friends her phone location after leaving her house and promptly texted them “on the road” at 2.47pm.
They replied “enjoy!”, hoping she would find love.
An hour later, their friend had gone silent and her phone location was showing up in dangerous areas of the city.
A search party of seven friends set off to trace Olorato’s digital footsteps.
It’s believed Olorato’s killers were part of a gang robbing young women at gunpoint
“It didn’t make sense. Where is she? Why is she missing?” says Karabo Mokoena, as we drove to the locations involved in their search.
“Every place we went to looked dodgier and dodgier. It made me panic – I was very scared.”
After finding her bag on a pile of bricks off the side of a main road, they filed a missing person report at a police station.
“I thought there was no way we were not going to find her. We did end up finding her but not in the way we would have hoped,” says Karabo.
Olorato’s body had been dumped at the dirt entrance of a random house less than 100m from where her friends were searching into the night.
Her face was swollen and her eyes black-blue from violent impact. Her top was ripped open to expose her breasts.
Police told Sky News that her post-mortem showed signs of blunt force trauma. She was likely beaten to death.
Olorato’s body was dumped outside this gate – she was likely beaten to death
“It was like I was dreaming, seeing her body like that with those bruises and blood everywhere,” says Olorato’s mother, Keabetswe Poppy Mongale, describing the moment she had to identify her only child at the morgue.
“I don’t think what I saw will ever go away,” she adds.
“It was very painful. I don’t wish that on any parent because my beautiful little girl looked different because someone chose to do that to her.”
Olorato’s mother says the image of her daughter in the morgue will never go away
CCTV from the driveway of Olorato’s building shows the last time she was seen alive, leaving her home to meet ‘John’.
In the video, she walks towards a white Volkswagen Polo and hesitates as she reaches the left back door. John had come with a friend.
Four days after Olorato was killed, police found the car in a different province with traces of her blood splattered across the back seat.
CCTV showed Olorato walking to a car for what she thought was a date
One suspect was shot dead but the second man is still on the run
Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makanya – ‘John’ – was shot dead by police in KwaZulu-Natal shortly after they found the vehicle.
The second man in the car, Bongani Mthimkhulu, is still on the run.
The two men have since been identified as part of a dangerous criminal syndicate that lure young women out on dates and rob them at gunpoint.
“Within the four days, the investigating officers received 94 calls from women who were raising concerns and identifying the suspects as those they once met,” South African Police Service deputy national commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told Sky News.
“It was unfortunate about Olorato, but others were released after being robbed.”
Olorato’s friends say she ‘ticked all the boxes when it came to being careful’
A 24-year-old student who survived an armed robbery at the hands of Olorato’s suspected killers says she was happy to see Philangenkosi killed but she’s still scared for her life.
“As women, we are not even safe anymore – we can’t even walk freely,” she says.
“The moment you leave your house you wonder if you will make it back alive. I don’t feel comfortable walking around the street. I leave the house and then turn back.
“Even when I’m home, I still don’t feel safe and always want to keep myself locked indoors,” she says with a shaky voice – choosing to remain anonymous.
After meeting other victims of the syndicate, she was shocked to hear details of almost identical abductions.
“This other girl was surprised because we went through the exact same situation. They also approached her with the same tactic – let me take you out to lunch to get to know you – only for her to be robbed.”
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South Africa has one of the highest femicide rates in the world – an average 15 women are killed a day, many by their intimate partners.
According to police statistics, more than 5,500 women were murdered in South Africa last year. An increase of 33.8% compared with the previous year.
“South Africa has six times the average rate of femicide – hundreds of women have already been killed since Olorato’s murder,” says Cameron Kasambala from Women for Change.
The advocacy group raises awareness of rising cases of femicide and gender-based violence across South Africa.
Campaigner Cameron Kasambala says many femicide cases take a long time to be resolved
In the hours after her murder, Olorato’s friends contacted Women for Change to share her missing poster after receiving little immediate help from the local police station.
“I think her friends were the real heroes in that moment,” says Cameron.
“Two police stations that were 10 minutes apart, one finds a body and one has a missing case, don’t make a connection for hours. It’s not the most reassuring police work. And if the friends had not come forward, how long would it have taken?
“Unfortunately, Olorato’s case is an exception. Most cases are not handled that quickly.”
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Olorato’s friends say she would be ‘proud to know that her name has not gone in vain’
Olorato’s friends are still contending with the violence of her death – what it means for their daily lives and how they navigate their safety as women in South Africa.
“It is difficult to process and difficult to believe. This is somebody who ticked all the boxes when it came to being careful – being meticulous, checking her surroundings and leaving clues,” says Olorato’s friend, Koketso Sejosengoe.
“It shows it can happen to anybody no matter how safe you are. It is happening to the average girl. They are being targeted. These men know what they are doing and who they are looking for.”
“In the purest sense, Olorato wanted women to be safe and wanted women to be protected,” adds Koketso.
“I think she would be very proud to know that her name has not gone in vain and that her death is standing for something – that there will be change that comes with this.”
Major heatwaves across southern Europe have left Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece in sweltering conditions of more than 40C (104F).
Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert for extreme heat and risk of wildfires on Sunday, with temperatures in Lisbon expected to exceed 42C (107F).
In parts of southern Spain, temperatures are well above average, with 42C also expected in Seville and other cities.
The country’s meteorological service says June is likely to be the hottest Spain has experienced since records began.
In several Italian regions, including Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia, and Umbria, outdoor work was banned during peak hours of sun on Sunday, with trade unions pushing for the measures to be extended and rolled out nationwide.
Twenty-one out of 27 cities were under the highest possible heat alert, including Rome, Milan, and Naples.
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Greece has already been plagued by wildfires this summer, with one breaking out south of Athens on Thursday, and several on the island of Chios last Sunday.
Near Athens, authorities deployed 130 firefighters, 12 helicopters, and 12 planes, with 40 people evacuated from the highest-risk areas.
A woman was arrested on suspicion of unintentional arson after wildfires spread across brush and pastureland for three days on Chios.
Flames rise above Thymari, near Athens, after wildfires broke out on Friday. Pic: Reuters
Tourists battle scorching temperatures at the Parthenon in Greece on Friday. Pic: Reuters
Scientists link increasing frequencies of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, wildfires, and storms to climate change.
In France and Germany, at least three people died amid stormy conditions.
A ridge of high pressure above central and western Europe is driving the scorching conditions, says Sky News meteorologist Chris England.
Hotter-than-normal sea temperatures, dry land, and surface winds are also partly to blame, he added.
Tourists in Retiro Park in Madrid on Saturday. Pic: AP
Locals fan themselves in Lisbon on Saturday. Pic: AP
UK heatwave also likely
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UK heatwaves explained
The UK is halfway through a four-day amber heat health alert, with temperatures expected to peak in the mid-30s (86F) on Tuesday.
Heat health alerts are not public weather warnings – but are instead designed to prepare health and social care bodies for the potential impact on their infrastructure and vulnerable groups.
Heatwave thresholds are likely to be met on Monday and Tuesday, which vary between 28C (82F) in the south of England and 25C (77F) across the rest of the country.
A British-Israeli soldier has been killed while fighting in Gaza, Israeli media reports said.
He was named locally as Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, from the city of Ra’anana.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is “looking into reports that an IDF soldier who died in combat in Gaza is a British national”.
The IDF soldier, who served in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed by an explosive device on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.
The paper said Mr Rosenfeld moved to Israel from London with his family 11 years ago.
More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Israel’s war against Hamas began on 7 October 2023, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza.
The war began when the militant group launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed more than 56,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
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It came as Donald Trump called for progress in ceasefire talks in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” the US president wrote on social media on Sunday.
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On Friday Mr Trump raised expectations by claiming there could be an agreement within the next week.
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