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| Getty Images: Tuvalu |
The deal was struck when small island nations, the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, were out of the room. Nations present including the US, China and the EU, agreed to "transition away from coal, oil and gas. That language was a step down from "phasing out fossil fuels" which western nations approved. Still, even the weaker language was a unexpected outcome from a 200 nation conference in oil-rich United Arab Emirates presided over by that nation's CEO of the national oil company, Sultan al-Jaber. He expressed satisfaction with the conference outcome despite push-back from oil nations like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. US climate envoy, John Kerry, also said the 21 page agreement was a "step forward" in the difficult context of war in Ukraine and Palestine. Activists were less satisfied with the compromise, calling the agreement "weak" and a "litany of loopholes".
Countries committing to the agreement have just six years to cut carbon emissions by 45%. Many countries are nowhere near reaching that goal. A climate scientist at the talks said there may be a lot of back-slapping going on, but "the physics will not care" since the agreement locks in high levels of emissions for years to come. Temperatures and sea-levels will continue to rise. The host for the next conference on climate change is gas-rich Azerbaijan. God help us!
