Nearly 200 nations signed a deal to dramatically reduce fossil fuels at the recent COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Many nations – more than 100 by most estimates -- wanted a full phase out of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, but the opposition to these proposals from oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and members of OPEC was staunch, according to Reuters.
The deal struck though includes language that the nations will transition away from fossil fuels to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050. The signatories of the deal believe this will help avoid the worst impacts of temperature rise due to climate change.
To avoid higher than a 1.5 degree C rise in global temperatures, the climate science says that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 43 percent by 2030 and 60 percent by 2035 relative to 2019 levels, according to the Guardian, quoting the text of the COP28 agreement.
The deal also calls for a huge acceleration in the adoption of renewable energy, tripling global capacity by 2030.
The U.S. Green Building Council released a statement praising the agreement, but acknowledging it isn’t perfect. “The agreement announced today by the national parties, called the UAE Consensus, takes significant steps to respond to the Global Stocktake, emphasizing the need for urgent action in this critical decade to keep the 1.5 °C goal within reach,” said USGBC president and CEO Peter Templeton, in the statement.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
