COP28 calls for transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems

Parties at COP28 adopted the United Arab Emirates Consensus on 13 December 2023, concluding the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. The decision called on countries to contribute to transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade.

The text also called for tripling global renewable-energy capacity and doubling the average annual rate of energy-efficiency improvement by 2030, accelerating reductions in unabated coal power and phasing out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies. “Unabated” and “transitioning away” leave important questions about carbon capture, timelines and national pathways.

It was the first COP consensus decision to refer to moving away from all fossil fuels, but it did not create a legally binding global phase-out date. Countries contribute according to national circumstances and must translate collective language into plans, finance and policy.

Small island states and other vulnerable parties said the package contained loopholes and insufficient finance, even while recognizing the signal. Consensus means no party formally blocked adoption; it does not imply every delegation considered the result adequate.

The adopted decision is the authoritative source. This News item records negotiated language without turning it into achieved emissions reduction. Whether the transition occurs depends on investment, retirement of high-emitting assets, demand, equity and measured outcomes over subsequent years.