COP28 Day 13 updates | UK issues clarification on climate minister's departure

The debate and negotiations appear to be hovering around 'phase-out' of fossil fuels. Both camps, one wanting the tougher language and the other opposing it has enough support from countries around the world.

These are some of the countries are opposing tough language on fossil fuels:

• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar
• Bolivia

These are some of the countries/ blocs supporting tough language on fossil fuels.

• European Union
• Samoa
• Colombia
• Bangladesh
• Australia
• United States
• Norway

As the Saudi-led crude producers resist the phase-out of oil, gas and coal, negotiators haggled to find a compromise on Tuesday. Denmark's Dan Jorgensen, one of the climate ministers tasked with leading the talks, said the summit needed to be clear that fossil fuels were on their way out.

Over 1000 scientists have signed a letter in response to Cop28 President Sultan Al Jaber, earlier this month saying that there is no science out there that says he phase-out of fossil fuel is what's going to achieve 1.5C. 

"For all intents and purposes, moving towards the phase-out of fossil fuel combustion is necessary to keep the 1.5C goal of the Paris Agreement within reach," read the letter.

On Tuesday, the Arab officials criticised the attempts to secure a phase-out of fossil fuels at COP28. 

"I am amazed at this extraordinary insistence on depriving peoples and many countries, most of them in the developing world, of a basic source of energy," said Kuwait's oil minister Saad Hamad Nasser Al Barrak.

The UK government is now insisting that Climate Change Minister Graham Stuart will be flying back to Dubai again after the Rwanda vote to rejoin talks. 

Angry reactions have started coming from various quarters following UK climate minister Graham Stuart leaving COP28 summit and heading back to London.

“Instead of fleeing Dubai, Stuart should be here to broker the compromises really needed to act upon developing countries’ urgent demands for more public finance to deliver a full fossil fuel phase-out. And he should be making clear that the UK, as a rich historically polluting country, is prepared to lead the way on delivering the renewable transition way from fossil fuels. The world is watching, and the Conservative government’s failure to lead at Cop28 is becoming increasingly obvious.” said Rebecca Newsom, of Greenpeace as quoted by the Guardian.

BBC has reported that UK climate minister Graham Stuart has left COP28 talks and is heading to London. The UK has already said that the draft climate deal currently being considered is "disappointing" and that a 'phase-out' of fossil fuels is needed.

Teresa Ribera, the Spanish representative of the European Union, along with the European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoesktra have met Unite Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at COP28 summit in Dubai.

The EU has pushed for phase-out of fossil fuels but the draft deal text released on Monday avoided explicitly mentioning the words.

COP28 Director-General Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi has told the summit that the summit was trying for the most ambitious outcome possible.

A deadline set by the Emirati hosts of the Dubai climate summit passed Tuesday without a deal, with negotiators expected to work overtime after fury on a proposal that stops short of phasing out fossil fuels, reports AFP news agency.

Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati oil boss who is president of the COP28 summit, had urged an agreement by the official end of the 13 days of talks, saying on December 6: "We can make it happen and deliver on Tuesday, December 12 by 11 am (0700 GMT) at the latest."

Licypriya Kangujam, a 12-year-old Indian climate activist stormed the stage at the United Nations COP28 climate summit, on Monday (Dec 11) holding a sign which read “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.” Meanwhile, the countries continue to debate a new draft climate agreement proposed by the Emirati presidency which advocates for reducing the production and use of fossil fuels but stops short of using the wording “phase out”. 

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday one key to success of the COP28 climate summit was for nations to reach agreement on the need to "phase out" fossil fuels, albeit with countries possibly moving at different rates.

"The COP covers many aspects and it depends on the global balance but a central aspect, in my opinion, of the success of the COP will be for the COP to reach a consensus on the need to phase out fossil fuels," he told reporters.

"That doesn't mean that all countries must phase out fossil fuels at the same time."

According to Guardian, influential industry trade groups, thinktanks and public relations agencies with a track record in climate denialism and misleading the public have been given access to the UN climate talks in Duba.

Corporate Accountability, a transparency watchdog, has found that UN organizers greenlighted access to groups that have obstructed fossil fuel regulations and other climate action, giving them the same or greater access to the international negotiations as Indigenous communities, human rights groups and climate justice organizations.

Many countries including Australia, the US, the UK, Canada and Japan said they will “not be a co-signatory” to “death certificates” for small island states, and have demanded a stronger agreement at the COP28 summit to deal with fossil fuels and address the climate crisis, reports Guardian.

The development comes as the text of a draft deal proposed by the summit presidency has tensions amongst the climate vulnerable countries.

A statement delivered by the Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, on behalf of what’s known as the umbrella group of countries, on Monday evening expressed concerns over the draft avoiding highly contentious calls for a “phase-out” or “phase-down” of fossil fuels in an attempt to find consensus from nearly 200 countries that have been meeting in Dubai for nearly a fortnight.

A draft of a potential climate deal at the COP28 summit on Monday suggested a range of measures countries could take to slash greenhouse gas emissions, but omitted the "phase out" of fossil fuels many nations have demanded - drawing criticism from the U.S, EU and climate-vulnerable countries, reports Reuters news agency.

The draft has set the stage for contentious last-minute negotiations in the two-week summit in Dubai, which has laid bare deep international divisions over whether oil, gas and coal should have a place in a climate-friendly future.