BERLIN, (Reuters) – The head of the United Nation’s climate body said yesterday he was not satisfied with the outcome of a 10-day conference and the process was moving too slowly given the urgency of the climate crisis.
“Never satisfied. In terms of whether reasonable progress made. Yes. Was it enough? We will know as we as we enter the COP28 itself,” Simon Stiell, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, told Reuters.
Global climate negotiators had little specific progress to report at talks intended to prepare for this year’s COP28 U.N. climate conference in Dubai, which it is hoped will get governments to embrace more ambitious steps to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that countries must start phasing out oil, coal and gas – not just emissions – and demanded that fossil fuel companies “cease and desist” measures that aim to hobble progress on the issue.
Some Western governments and climate-afflicted island nations agree, but the oil-producing United Arab Emirates, host of COP28, says the talks should focus on phasing out emissions.
Nevertheless, the UAE’s incoming COP28 president said last week the phasedown of the fuels themselves was inevitable.
Asked whether fossil fuel phase-out or down would be on the COP28 agenda, Stiell said the UAE presidency was still crafting its vision. He expected to hear more on that in the coming weeks.
“Science tells us that what is required in order to reach zero requires phasing out and down of all fossil fuels. We’ll see what signals are presented. But the science is very clear,” Stiell added.
UNFCCC said the Bonn talks closed on Thursday with progress on the issues of financing measures to mitigate climate change; the question of liability for the loss and damage it has
