COP28 Goes Into Overtime as Nations Debate Fossil Fuel Phase-out
The Facts
The UN-led COP28 climate summit has gone into overtime as countries continue to talk about how to handle the future of fossil fuels. Global leaders are split over the wording of a draft text release Monday that failed to call for the complete phase-out of oil, gas, and coal.
The global summit’s draft resolution on fossil fuels was highly anticipated, and various climate activists were angered by Monday's publication that dropped previous references phasing out of petroleum-based sources. While more than 100 countries support some form of a phase-out, the draft stops short of calling for such measures.
The Spin
Narrative A
Monday’s COP28 draft text is not a sufficient resolution to guide climate policy, and any international agreement that wants to seriously tackle global warming must call for the total phase-out of oil, gas, and coal. The scientific consensus is clear, and net-zero emissions by 2050 are the only way to avoid a global climate catastrophe. While such policies may harm the economies of oil-rich nations, the overall health of our planet takes precedence over economic concerns. UN leaders must come together with a strongly worded draft that provides clarity on how to eliminate fossil fuels and protect the planet.
Narrative B
Climate activists are becoming dangerously close to climate extremists who fervently push for dangerous measures that could do more harm than good. While many people can agree that climate change is a serious issue and that fossil fuels contribute to the global warming of Earth, it does not mean that we should resort to extreme policies that could destroy our modern way of life and collapse the energy sector of nations. Protecting the planet is very important, and there are reasonable measures that can produce a sustainable future, but shouting for an all-or-nothing approach to fossil fuels is unproductive.