After nearly two weeks of hectic negotiations, countries were on the verge of reaching a historic deal on a ‘transition away from fossil fuels’ while emerging economies like India and China strongly resisted the targeting of coal.
This is, however, a step back from the earlier proposal of a ‘phase-out of fossil fuels’ that drew sharp criticism from many countries in the Global South and oil-reliant economies like Saudi Arabia.
A draft cover decision of the Dubai climate talks released early in the morning called for a “deep, rapid and sustained” reduction in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5 degree-Celsius pathways.
