Rifts widen between developed & developing countries on use of coal at UNCOP28

At the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the rifts widened between developing countries that are still dependent on coal. Rich nations have pledged to move away from new coal but are silent on abandoning other fossil fuels. Negotiators, in the United Arab Emirates, are grappling with contentious issues around phasing out coal and climate finance. There is little clarity on the final text of the agreement at this stage.

COP28 began on 30th November with a landmark operationalising of the Loss and Damage Fund, which will help nations most vulnerable to climate calamities cope with the consequences of the crisis. UAE’s climate envoy and head of state-owned oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Sultan Al Jaber, said there was no science to show that phasing out fossil fuels would achieve the world’s climate goals. He added that removing fossil fuels would take the world back into caves. 

Earlier India and China had stayed away from a pledge taken by 118 Nations on the sidelines of COP28 to work towards trebling the global renewable energy



generation capacity to at least 11000GW, which means doubling the average annual amount rate of energy efficiency by 2030. 

Even major oil producers Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran also stayed away from the pledge. India remained committed to increasing it's non-fossil power by 2030,  in line with the the climate action pledge under the Paris Agreement.  

India said, could not be a party to any commitment that hurt its priority to lift millions out of poverty by boosting development . Negotiators from the United States and the European Union have said they are agreeable to phasing out unabated fossil fuels. However, Petro-rich states have not agreed to the language used. Developing countries called on developed countries who bear the greatest responsibility for the modification of the global climate system to reverse course in their accelerated consumption of the remaining carbon space. COP28 is scheduled to continue till the 12th of December by when negotiators are expected to reach a compromise.