UN Secretary-General "Agreement Needed on Phasing Out Fossil Fuels"

Last-Minute Struggles Ahead of COP28 Closing Ceremony

[Image source=Yonhap News]

United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres emphasized the need to reach an agreement on the phased elimination of fossil fuels at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

According to major foreign media on the 11th (local time), Secretary-General Guterres attended COP28 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and stated, "The key to the success of this conference is reaching an agreement on the necessity of phasing out fossil fuels," adding, "It is not about demanding that all countries immediately phase out fossil fuels, but it is time to reach an agreement on the necessity itself."

He proposed not to completely derail the agreement but to officially establish the fundamental principle of ultimately phasing out fossil fuels.

COP28 will conclude on the 12th with the adoption of a joint declaration by the parties. Currently, countries are reportedly struggling to reach consensus on the contents of the joint declaration. This is interpreted as being due to major greenhouse gas emitters and key oil-producing countries still being reluctant to participate in the phased elimination of fossil fuel use.

The United States, the European Union (EU), and climate-vulnerable countries including least developed countries seek to include the phase-out of fossil fuels in the agreement, but major greenhouse gas emitters such as China and India remain uncertain about supporting it. Saudi Arabia and Russia, which lead the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the OPEC+ group of major non-OPEC oil-producing countries, are clearly opposed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.