'Contentious' COP28 draft moots end to fossil fuel use

DUBAI: Putting all crucial options on the table for negotiation during the next seven days, the UN climate conference (COP28) negotiating team on Tuesday released an ambitious draft text of the global stocktake seeking countries to not only agree to trebling global renewable energy capacity to 11,000 GW by 2030 but also to brainstorm on phasing out fossil fuels. India's points on "sustainable lifestyle and sustainable pattern of consumption" - the bedrock of the country's concept of Mission LiFE (lifestyle for environment) - is also noted in the text as one of the options to address climate change issues.

Though the 24-page draft text will see several rounds of updates incorporating countries' viewpoints in the next few days, the formulation on phasing out of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) and fossil fuel subsidies will certainly cause deep divides among participants, including India, China and the oil-rich nations, on different points until a landing zone arrives in the final text in terms of "an orderly and just phase-out" or "phase out of unabated use" or "phase-down".



India to continue using coal, oppose carbon border tax

India’s points on “sustainable lifestyle and sustainable pattern of consumption” — the bedrock of the country’s concept of Mission LiFE (lifestyle for environment) — is also noted in the text as one of the options to address climate change issues.

India has on several occasions categorically said that the country is committed to substantially increasing its clean energy capacity, but coal would continue to be the mainstay of its electricity needs and development goals.

COP28 is expected to conclude the first ever GST, which is a mandated global report card of climate actions every five years. It'll become the basis of what more the countries need to do to meet the Paris Agreement goals through their next round of pledges in 2025.

The draft text is, however, not going to offer clarity on a final outcome of the COP28 as it keeps all the main options of different countries and negotiating groups on the table. It even keeps the "no text" option - it means if any country can't agree on any option, it gets deleted and the process will be open to any new suggestions on climate action which can be incorporated in subsequent negotiating texts.

On the sustainable lifestyle issue, the draft text notes the importance of "transitioning to sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption and production in efforts to address climate change and encourages efforts towards transitions to sustainable lifestyles, sustainable patterns of consumption and circularity approaches, including circular economy and circular carbon economy approaches". All these points are part of India's Mission LiFE, which pitches for mindful consumption of resources.

Besides the coal issue, India will also strongly oppose any formulation on a carbon border tax regime, such as the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which some of the developed countries may try to introduce in the guise of "unilateral" measures to reduce emissions.