New Delhi:

Developing countries have not bowed down to the pressure by developed countries to take on targets to transition away from fossil fuels, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday, referring to the outcome of the UN Climate Summit (COP28) in Dubai.

At the same time, demands by developing countries that developed countries take the lead in phasing out fossil fuels was also not reflected in the outcome, there was a softening of the language on developed countries taking the lead in moving away from fossil fuels. This was one of the main reasons for the delay in conclusion of COP28 negotiations which saw negotiations continuing through two consecutive days and nights, the minister who represented India at COP28, said.

“Countries that have achieved development and progress while causing massive greenhouse gas emissions historically are responsible for providing support to developing countries for energy transition. The Paris Agreement has clear categorisation of developed and developing countries. Annexure 1 of the Paris Agreement lists developed countries that captured most of the carbon space and are responsible for historical emissions and Annexure 2 represents developing countries. We have not accepted the pressure from developed countries. All commitments in the UAE consensus are based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) and national circumstances. Every country wants that Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree C goal is met. But, we have different starting points and some countries have the burden of poverty. So, the pressure from developed nations was not accepted,” Yadav said at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday.

“We cannot depend on imported oil and gas. Until we achieve our development needs, we will use coal. The language on coal (in the UAE agreement) is a repetition from the Glasgow agreement in 2021. What is important is developed countries wanted to push for language on limiting new coal power which we managed to thwart,” Yadav said while responding to a question on why “oil” and “gas” was not mentioned in the UAE agreement but phasedown of unabated “coal” is mentioned.

On why developing countries did not manage to get developed nations to take the lead on phasing out fossil fuels and meeting their emission reduction goals, Yadav added: “That language has been softened. We (India) said in our intervention that developed countries need to be net negative emissions before 2050. This issue was discussed and negotiations were extended through two nights to address this issue. Those who run first will achieve their targets first. So, developed nations will have to achieve their goals first,” Yadav said.

History was made in Dubai last week when 196 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Fossil fuels which have been a topic of taboo for years in climate negotiations was finally addressed in a very carefully calibrated decision text titled the UAE Consensus through consensus building and various trade-offs. It, however, still doesn’t mention the words “oil” and “gas.”

The UAE Consensus calls on Parties to contribute to the following global efforts, in a “nationally determined manner”–(a) Tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030; (b) accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power; (c) accelerating efforts globally towards net zero emission energy systems, utilising zero- and low-carbon fuels well before or by around mid-century; (d) transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science; (e) accelerating zero- and low-emission technologies, including, inter alia, renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies such as carbon capture and utilization and storage, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, and low-carbon hydrogen production; (f) accelerating and substantially reducing non-carbon-dioxide emissions globally, including in particular methane emissions by 2030; (g) accelerating the reduction of emissions from road transport on a range of pathways, including through development of infrastructure and rapid deployment of zero and low-emission vehicles; (h) phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty. This is the key section in the GST. Experts have pointed out that point 28 of the agreement recognises that transitional fuels can play a role in facilitating the energy transition while ensuring energy security. This may leave room for several countries to continue using oil, observers said.

“I think for the first time there was a sense of urgency and sense of the crisis. In spite of the deep divisions between the North and the South, the inconvenient truth that we have to collaborate and that we have to come together, was recognised and accepted at COP28,” Sunita Narain, director general, Centre For Science and Environment said on December 14.

“The text is not good enough in the fact that we have not specified how will equity get operationalised in the use of the remaining budget of fossil fuels in the world. So, not only do fossil fuels have to be phased out, the word, of course right now, is to make a transition away from fossil fuels. In our view, they need to be phased out based on the available signs. The available signs tell us that there is a quota of fossil fuel available within the 1.5 budget,” added Narain