Scientists have described the commitment of COP28, the UN climate summit, to “transition away” from fossil fuels as a “significant step forward” but far short of the commitment that was needed to meet the goal of holding global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Climate scientists had hoped for a commitment to “phase out” the use of fossil fuels.
Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, former president of Ireland and former patron of the International Science Council (ISC), said: “If 1.5c is our North Star and science our compass, we must swiftly phase out all fossil fuels to chart a course to a liveable future. World leaders must continue to urgently pull together and find ways forward to tackle this existential threat. Every day of delay condemns millions to an uninhabitable world.”
Nevertheless, the ISC noted that no previous COP text had explicitly addressed “the need to move away from oil and gas, the primary energy sources that have powered economies for decades” and the commitment to transition away “sets a precedent for future COPs and signals a shift in global attitudes toward fossil fuels”.