Reaction: COP28 puts fossil fuels in the firing line, but with shields to protect them

Date: 13 December 2023
Campaigns: Climate

Reacting to the adoption of the global stocktake text, Izzie McIntosh, climate campaign manager at Global Justice Now said:

COP28 has put fossil fuels in the firing line, then erected shields to protect them. The new language on transition is fatally undermined by loopholes, dangerous distractions and huge funding holes in the rest of the text. For two weeks the UK, US and others have claimed to be supporting an end to fossil fuels, without coughing up the cash to help the global south transition. And all while continuing to expand their own arsenal of fossil fuels. Ultimately, the weaknesses in this text are still tantamount to a death sentence for many around the world. We still need a global exit plan from fossil fuels, which COP28 has failed to deliver.

Though the UK government claimed to favour a ‘phase out’, its actions consistently reflect the opposite, granting new oil and gas licenses and rolling back green policies where instead we should be investing energy in a coordinated phase out of all fossil fuels entirely. Beyond COP28, we need to ramp up pressure on the UK’s political leadership to force them to take action beyond words – from backing a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty to introducing a permanent polluters’ tax to fund a significant loss and damage contribution.

Witnessing the power of global movements fighting for their communities, for the right to life and the future of our planet reminds us despair and inaction are luxuries we cannot afford. We’ve had enough of the whims of rich CEOs and shareholders being prioritised whilst coming first, while much of the global south is treated as a sacrifice zone for the climate crisis. Around the world, momentum is growing – we won’t allow our collective futures to be devalued any longer.”

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Image: Flickr/UNclimatechange