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The COP28 United Nations climate summit clinched a historic climate deal on Wednesday.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed on reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst of climate change, in a first of its kind deal signaling the eventual end of the oil age.
The deal calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner … so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
More than 100 countries had lobbied hard for strong language in the COP28 agreement to “phase out” oil, gas and coal use, but came up against powerful opposition from the Saudi Arabia-led oil producer group OPEC, which argued that the world can slash emissions without shunning specific fuels.
A source familiar with Saudi Arabia’s thinking told Reuters that the deal struck at the climate summit is agreeable because it provides a “menu” for every country to follow its own pathway to the energy transition.
The Alliance of Small Island States said it saw “a litany of loopholes”. “The text does not speak specifically to fossil fuel phaseout and mitigation in a way that is in fact ‘the step change that is needed’,” said the alliance.
Reuters reporters were on the ground delivering the latest updates, scenes and insights during the hoped-for final hours. Click here for a Reuters rundown on the hours leading up to the final agreement.
