World reacts to COP28 climate deal

REACTIONS ranged from joy to scepticism after nearly 200 nations meeting in Dubai agreed to a first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels.

The agreement was reached at the UN-led COP28 summit, which is aimed at fighting the climate change that bears costly and destructive consequences.

Here are some key reactions:

“Everybody here should be pleased that in a world of Ukraine and the Middle East war and all the other challenges of a planet that is floundering,” US envoy John Kerry said, “there is cause for optimism, cause for gratitude and cause for some significant congratulations to everybody here.”

And in a social media post, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today’s agreement marks the beginning of the post-fossil era.”

Saudi official Albara Tawfiq, speaking on behalf of the Arab bloc, voiced “gratitude” for the talks.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil producer, had voiced strong opposition to mentioning a “phase-out” or “phase-down” of fossil fuels in the text.

“Developed countries have an unshakable, historical responsibility for climate change and therefore must take the lead to embark on the 1.5 degree Celsius pathway ahead of the rest of the world,” Chinese ViceEnvironment Minister Zhao Yingmin told COP28 in Dubai.

“It is crucial that developed countries take the lead in the transition away from fossil fuels,” Brazilian Environment

Minister Marina Silva echoed.

“We have made an incremental advancement over business as usual when what we really needed is an exponential step change in our actions," said Samoan chief negotiator Anne Rasmussen, whose country chairs the Alliance of Small Island States.

The text’s call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels was a “step forward”, but it was “incremental and not transformational”, the Alliance of Small Island States said in a statement.

“We should be proud of our historic achievement and the United Arab Emirates, my country, is rightly proud of its role in helping to move this forward,” said Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, the UAE oil chief who headed COP28.

CACACE AFP GIUSEPPE CLIMATE activists put their hands together during a protest against fossil fuels during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai. |