Deep Dive: Nations strike ‘historic’ deal at Cop28 climate change conference to phase out use of fossil fuels, boost renewable energy

Last Wednesday, representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the Cop28 climate summit to begin reducing global use of fossil fuels to avoid the worst effects of climate change. This deal is the first of its kind to show that the world will eventually stop using oil.

The agreement is meant to send a powerful signal to investors and policymakers that the world is united in its desire to stop using fossil fuels – scientists say this is the world’s last hope to fight off a climate catastrophe.

“It is the first time that the world unites around such a clear text on the need to transition away from fossil fuels,” said Norway’s minister of foreign affairs, Espen Barth Eide.

The agreement was made after two weeks of hard-fought negotiations. More than 100 countries pushed for strong language in the Cop28 agreement to “phase out” oil, gas and coal use.

But they faced powerful opposition from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), the oil producer group led by Saudi Arabia. Opec argued that the world could reduce its carbon emissions without having to stop using specific fuels.

Members of Opec control nearly 80 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves, along with about a third of global daily oil production. Their governments rely on the money they make from selling oil.

On the other side, small climate-vulnerable island countries were strong supporters of phasing out fossil fuels. They had the backing of huge oil and gas producers such as the United States, Canada and Norway, along with the European Union and many other governments.

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The Danish minister for climate and energy, Dan Jorgensen, was impressed by the deal made at Cop28: “We’re standing here in an oil country, surrounded by oil countries, and we made the decision saying let’s move away from oil and gas.”

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.”

It also calls for the world to triple the capacity of renewable energy by 2030, speed up efforts to reduce coal use, and improve technologies such as carbon capture and storage that can help industries that struggle more with stopping their use of fossil fuels. Now that the deal is struck, countries must make policies and investments to work towards the agreements.
Reuters

Question prompts:

1. Based on News and Glossary, what are the objectives of the Cop summits?
(1) find new forms of fossil fuels
(2) drive global action to address climate change
(3) come up with innovative ways to use fossil fuels
(4) work towards limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius

A. (1), (2) and (3) only
B. (1), (2) and (4) only
C. (2) and (4) only
D. (3) and (4) only

2. Why is the Cop28 agreement significant?

3. What was the main challenge in reaching this agreement, and why? Explain using News and your own knowledge.

Question prompts:
1. Which of the following observations can be made from the chart?
(1) Fossil fuel consumption has more than doubled between 1965 and 2022.
(2) Among the three types of fossil fuels, oil ranks lowest in global consumption.
(3) Global consumption of gas in 2022 is more than that of coal.
(4) From 1965 to 2022, the world’s consumption of gas rose by more than 80,000 terawatt-hours.

A. (1), (2) and (3) only
B. (1), (3) and (4) only
C. (2), (3) and (4) only
D. all of the above

2. “To achieve net zero, it was essential for nations at the Cop28 to agree to reduce global consumption of fossil fuels.” To what extent does the chart support this statement? Explain using News and Glossary.

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Question prompts:

1. What is the black liquid coming from the pump, and what is the problem with its use?

2. Based on your answer above, what message might the illustration be sending?

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• Over 80 countries demanded a complete phase-out of fossil fuels to aim for an emission-free energy system

• Some developing nations argued for a “first in, first out” approach, allowing them to exploit resources initially, while wealthy nations transition away from fossil fuels first

More than 80 countries pushed for a deal to phase out all carbon-emitting fossil fuels at Cop28. “The goal is an energy system that has no emissions,” said Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barthe Eide.

Besides the support from Norway, phasing out fossil fuels was also backed by the United States and Canada, the European Union, climate-vulnerable small island countries, some African nations including Kenya and Ethiopia, and Latin American countries Chile and Colombia.

Before the deal was made last week, some African nations said they would support a phase-out deal if wealthy countries – who have been producing and using fossil fuels for much longer – agreed to quit first.

“To tell Uganda to stop fossil fuels, it is ... like you are telling Uganda to stay in poverty,” said Uganda’s energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa. Uganda, Mozambique and others on the continent with low electricity access rates plan to develop or expand their oil and gas production. Uganda began drilling its first production well this year.

Nankabirwa said the country could accept a long-term phase out, if it made clear that developing nations could use their resources in the short term, while wealthy long-time producers quit first.

“First in, first out – and we will be happy to be the last one to exit from fossil fuels,” she said.

But the “first in, first out” approach was not formally adopted in the final agreement drafted last Wednesday though it does allow emerging nations to adopt different transition pathways.

Another sticking point in the Cop28 talks was if the deal should allow fossil fuel use if their carbon emissions were captured, or “abated”. Most of the world’s power plants are unabated.

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Diplomats said that Saudi Arabia wanted a Cop28 deal that included a focus on carbon capture technologies, which remain expensive and not used at scale.

The UN’s climate science panel has said steep fossil fuel cuts are needed to avert more severe climate change, and it sees a limited role for carbon capture to zero out the world’s emissions by 2050.

The US and EU supported a Cop28 deal that recognised these technologies, which could help polluting sectors such as cement or steel to bring down their emissions. But they wanted caveats in the deal to prevent carbon capture promises from being used to excuse business as usual.
Reuters

Question prompts:

1. Which statements reflect Nankabirwa’s position on the phase-out of fossil fuels?
(1) She fully supported the immediate end of fossil fuel use.
(2) She wanted to prioritise the continued use of fossil fuels for developing countries, while pushing wealthier nations to phase out first.
(3) She was open to accepting a long-term phase-out with specific conditions.
(4) She was open to trying carbon capture technology to abate carbon emissions.

A. (1) and (2) only
B. (2) and (3) only
C. (3) and (4) only
D. none of the above

2. Explain ONE potential concern of the “first in, first out” approach to phasing out fossil fuels, and propose a solution to this issue.

3. To what extent are carbon capture technologies a viable solution for mitigating climate change, and should they be included in national policies around the world? Explain using Issue, Glossary and your own knowledge.

• carbon capture: technology that hopes to combat climate change by capturing carbon dioxide emissions. Most current carbon capture technologies use a liquid to chemically remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The captured carbon dioxide is then compressed so it becomes liquid-like and can be transported to a storage site.

• Cop28: also known as the UN Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties. It is an annual global conference that brings together world leaders to address climate change. At Cop21 in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted with the goal “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels”. This year’s conference took place from November 30 to December 13 and was hosted by the United Arab Emirates and held in Dubai.

• climate change: refers to significant variations in global weather patterns that persist over a long period of time. Carbon emissions play a crucial role in driving climate change through a process called the greenhouse effect that warms the planet. Effects of climate change include higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and more severe weather events.

• fossil fuel: refers to non-renewable energy sources such as coal, natural gas, derived gas, crude oil and petroleum products. Fossil fuels are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

• net zero: when the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere is balanced by the amount of greenhouse gases removed

• renewable energy: energy from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed. Examples of renewable energy include solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and hydropower.

News
1. C
2. It is significant because it marks the first-ever global agreement to phase out fossil fuels. This is crucial to combat climate change and avoid the worst of its impacts.
3. The main challenge in reaching the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels was the opposition from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia. They argued that emissions could be reduced without explicitly phasing out specific fuels. Their reason for doing so could be because OPEC countries control nearly 80 per cent of the world’s oil reserves and rely heavily on oil revenue for their economies. Transitioning away from fossil fuels would threaten their financial stability and political power.

Chart
1. D
2. The chart shows a more than threefold increase in fossil fuel consumption from 1965 to 2022, highlighting our growing dependence on these fuels over the past six decades. Since fossil fuels contribute significantly to carbon emissions, reducing their global consumption was crucial to achieving net-zero goals.

Illustration
1. It is petrol, and using it releases carbon emissions, which are causing climate change.
2. The tightening grip of a petrol pump hose around Earth shows the suffocating impact of fossil fuels on our planet’s health and the urgency of taking action to address this critical environmental issue.

Issue
1. B
2. The “first in, first out” approach could delay transitions for developing nations and potentially hinder global emission reduction goals. By allowing developing nations to continue exploiting their resources, this could potentially lock them into a fossil fuel-dependent future. A solution to this could be that wealthier nations must contribute to building infrastructure for renewable energy.
3. Carbon capture technologies have the potential to reduce emissions but they are currently expensive and not yet used at scale, raising concerns about their feasibility and affordability. Additionally, relying solely on carbon capture could divert attention and resources from transitioning to cleaner energy sources, potentially delaying overall progress. That said, carbon capture should be included in a COP28 agreement but with clear requirements on how the technology should be implemented to ensure cost-effectiveness, scalability, and environmental safeguards to avoid greenwashing.