UN climate chief urges countries to lift ‘tactical blockades’ to reach deal on fossil fuels at COP28 - Yahoo News UK
UN chief urges agreement to phase out all fossil fuels at COP28
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday one key to success at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai was for nations to reach agreement on the need to "phase out" fossil fuels, albeit with countries possibly moving at different rates.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged an agreement at COP28 to phase out fossil fuels, pressing negotiators to show flexibility in the climate summit's final hours.
Less than a day before the summit's scheduled close in Dubai, Guterres flew back and warned there were "still large gaps" holding up a consensus.
"We are in a race against time," Guterres told reporters.
"Now is the time for maximum ambition and maximum flexibility," Guterres said. "It's time to go into overdrive to negotiate in good faith."
Guterres, who has made climate a top priority, called on negotiators to have a "single-minded focus on tackling the root cause of the climate crisis – fossil fuel production and consumption".
In his call for flexibility, Guterres said there should also be attention to the concerns of fossil fuel producers and that not all countries would have the same immediate responsibility.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
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