The Economist writes about three climate fights to expect at COP28.
- Delegates will likely focus on cracking down on emissions from methane, a greenhouse gas that 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
- Climate finance will also be a point of contention as developing countries will pressure wealthy nations to pay a “loss and damage fund.”
- Perhaps the most contentious issue will be figuring out to either phase out or phase down fossil fuels, the decision of which could significantly hamstring global economic development.
“A deal is hard to reach because the legitimate climate ambition of a rapid end to burning fossil fuel runs into the equally legitimate reality of fossil dependence. As Mr Cohen observes, ‘You can wish fossil fuels away, but they still comprise 80% of world energy supply and are growing.’ A new scenario from the IEA, a global forecaster, for achieving net-zero emissions envisions a significant amount of fossil-fuel use even in 2050 (albeit at much lower levels than today), making a mockery of talk of rapid phase-out.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
