Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change, has stated that countries negotiating at COP28 must not fall into the trap of point-scoring and “lowest common denominator politics.”
Speaking at a press conference, the UN’s climate chief said that all governments must give their negotiators clear marching orders, adding, “We need highest ambition, not point scoring or lowest common denominator politics.”
Stiell noted, “We have a starting text on the table … but it’s a grab bag of wishlists and heavy on posturing.”
“The key now is to sort the wheat from the chaff,” he added.
“There are many options that are on the table right now which speak to the phasing out of fossil fuels. It is for parties to unpick that, but come up with a very clear statement that signals the terminal decline of the fossil fuel era as we know it.”
Simon Stiell
Also at a press conference, Wopke Hoekstra, the EU climate commissioner and former Shell employee, made an uncompromising demand for a full phase-out of fossil fuels with urgency.
“Let me be very explicit,” he said, “We need to phase out all fossil fuels.”
“It is that simple. And not because I say so – because scientists tell us that that is the goal that that we should live up to,” he added.
However, he noted, “Having said that, we do have acknowledged that where we are now in the era now today. There are some sectors that are very hard to abate.”
He stressed that carbon capture and storage was not the panacea.
“It does not mean that companies or countries can get away with CCS-ing themselves out of the problem. There is no magic solution. There is no alternative for phasing out fossil fuels. As fast as we can and as broadly as we get.”
Wopke Hoekstra
Meanwhile, Licypriya Kangujam, 12-year-old Indian climate justice activist and special envoy of Timor Leste at COP28 is unimpressed at the UAE COP President, Sultan Al Jaber’s oil and gas links.
“I am pretty disappointed that COP is hosted by a fossil fuel leader,” Kangujam said.
“We are here representing the voices of millions of vulnerable people and children, but now that it has become a fossil fuel summit, we can do nothing about it. But we will keep raising our voices, because we need a just phase out of all fossil fuels, oil, coal and gas, to renewable and clean energies as soon as possible if we want to save our planet.”
Licypriya Kangujam
U.S Climate Envoy Urges COP28 Attendees To Get Serious
U.S Climate envoy, John Kerry urged delegates to get serious with the ongoing COP28 negotiations.
according to Kerry, it is now “crunch time” in these climate talks.
“Come on, it’s time to get serious,” the US climate envoy said in a press conference, after reeling off a litany of recent climate disasters.
“It’s time for adults to behave like adults and get the job done,” he added.
Kerry said the U.S has had a “pretty damn good week” at COP28 so far, highlighting its actions to curb methane pollution, its pledge to build no new coal plants and to triple renewable energy.
However, he acknowledged that the second week will be trickier, admitting to some differences with China, such as over its ongoing coal consumption.
Not even another Donald Trump presidency would derail the transition to green energy, he said.
“People will measure who steps up and who doesn’t,” Kerry said of the negotiations.
“We will get to a global low-carbon, no carbon economy, we will get there. The only question is will we get there in time to avoid the worst consequences of this crisis as we were warned by the 2018 IPCC report.”
John Kerry
READ ALSO: Erdogan Condemns Israel’s Plan To Demilitarize Gaza
