The world is watching as leaders gather in the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in UAE for the first Global Stocktake (GST) after the Paris Agreement. The first draft of the GST was released at 6am local time on 13 December, with an almost 24-hour delay from the scheduled release time due to a lack of consensus. Some progress has been made since the previous text, such as changing the suggestion from Parties “could” act to “calls on” action.

As expected, the text includes tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency, which is a significant milestone. It is aligned with science that the text recognizes the need to substantially reduce methane by 2030, although a reduction target is absent.

This draft text was adopted into the final text as announced in the open plenary at 11am local time on 13 December.

In the final text, it included the term of “transition away from fossil fuel”, which an unprecedented call for action in the COP agreements. However, “phase out” is still absent despite some countries diligently pushing for the term to be included. On the whole, the GST text has been deemed not ambitious enough to keep the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 target alive. 

It is not a decision that can safeguard lives of billions, reduce ill health and premature deaths from extreme weather.

An equitable phase-out of fossil fuels is urgently required, not only a “transition away” from fossil fuel , but also the phasing out of “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies and the phasing down of unabated coal power. Only by phasing out fossil fuels can we safeguard a just and habitable future for humanity, protecting the most vulnerable communities on the frontlines of climate disasters.