Time for COP28 host to deliver UAE Consensus and end fossil fuel expansion

Ahead of the start of the UN climate change conference, the host of last year’s COP28, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has released its 2035 climate action plan.

In response, Tracy Carty, climate politics expert at Greenpeace International, said:  

“One year after delivering the UAE Consensus calling for a transition away from fossil fuels, the UAE has a global responsibility to step up and implement that outcome. That requires much more than what it has presented, which offers little confidence that major plans to expand fossil fuel production will be curbed.

“The UAE Consensus needs to be much more than a name to a document. It is instead a call to action because year after year of record temperatures and extreme weather impacts underscore just how little time we have left. The UAE has the capability to embrace a new future and accelerate towards a 1.5°C-aligned, just energy transition.

“Scaling up clean investments and energy markets, particularly in renewables, is the future and the answer will not come from drilling for more of the climate-destroying fuels that are heating the planet. The UAE can be a leader and deliver what COP28 set the world on: a pathway away from fossil fuels and climate destruction to a resilient, clean energy economy.”

Hanen Keskes, Political Campaigns Lead at Greenpeace MENA, said: 

“Through spearheading the unprecedented inclusion of the need to transition away from fossil fuels in the COP28 outcome, known as the UAE Consensus, the UAE has exhibited its leadership potential in global climate action. But as the NDC falls short of a clear commitment to a path toward fossil fuel phase-out, the country has missed an opportunity to capitalise on its COP28 leadership and set a positive example to the rest of the world. 

“As a key player in the global energy system, the UAE’s active participation in the transition away from fossil fuels is crucial to meet global climate goals. The country’s wealth and influence gives it the unique opportunity to drive innovations in renewable energy while being the first major oil and gas producer to take the bold step of halting fossil fuel expansion.” 

ENDS