COP28: 'Climate change now a battle between a fossil future and a non-fossil one'

© Sergey Uryadnikov

What was last week regarded as a ’semantic misunderstanding’ – including by your correspondent – has grown to become the pivotal conflict of COP28, with fury erupting at a draft agreement that makes no mention of ending reliance on fossil fuel.

Last week, COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber provoked a firestorm of backlash after claiming there was “no science” to support the conclusion that an absolute cessation of fossil extraction was required, adding provocatively that it wouldn’t be needed “unless you ...