DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Some international locations on the COP28 local weather talks are mendacity concerning the potential for capturing the greenhouse gases fossil fuels emit, U.S. local weather envoy John Kerry mentioned.
Kerry was talking at an occasion on Friday night on the sidelines of the U.N. COP28 local weather talks in Dubai, the place the nations of the world are wrangling over the draft of a pledge to finish fossil gas use.
The deal has been forcefully opposed by fossil fuel-producing international locations, together with Saudi Arabia. Negotiators from Riyadh argue carbon air pollution will be largely captured and buried utilizing scrubbing expertise that Kerry mentioned stays largely unproven on the wanted scale.
“There are individuals right here who wish to simply proceed enterprise as regular. And the nice facade is: ‘Oh no, we’ll be capable to seize every part,’” mentioned Kerry, his voice hoarse from a chest chilly. “No scientist tells me we will seize all of it. Cannot do it. Can we seize some? Sure, and by the way in which, I am for it.”
Kerry mentioned it was as much as the fuel trade ”to point out us they’ll seize all these emissions, to inform us whether or not it is actually going to be a part of the longer term. However don’t deceive individuals and inform them it is inexperienced. And do not fake to people who that is the primary various.”
Kerry mentioned the subsequent few days of talks, that are scheduled to finish Tuesday, could be ”completely essential. With none query by any means.”
A draft textual content launched on Friday by the United Arab Emirates authorities, which is internet hosting the convention, included a number of choices for a deal between nearly 200 international locations to “section out” fossil fuels — a phrase being pushed by small island states, the U.S. and the European Union. But it surely additionally included an possibility for no deal in any respect, which is the consequence many international locations, together with Saudi Arabia, China and Russia favor.
“I’m involved that not everyone seems to be partaking in a constructive method,” German local weather envoy Jennifer Morgan mentioned in an announcement shared with reporters.
Saudi negotiators have pushed for the deal to deal with the emissions that trigger local weather change, somewhat than the fuels that trigger the emissions, UAE chief negotiator Hana Al Hashimi instructed reporters Saturday. That necessitates the usage of carbon seize — however international locations are divided over how a lot the expertise can be utilized, versus the necessity to merely stamp out the usage of the fuels.
The EU is arguing for the deal at COP28 to incorporate a stipulation that carbon seize and storage (CCS) solely be used for the toughest sectors to chop out the usage of fossil fuels, such because the manufacture of cement.
“Make no mistake, we can not CCS ourselves out of the issue,” mentioned EU local weather commissioner Wopke Hoekstra at a press convention Friday, including that carbon seize and storage was “a minor a part of the answer area.”
Advocates for a fossil gas phase-out deal imagine it’s going to scare buyers away from fossil gas tasks. “One factor I do know to absolute certainty,” Kerry mentioned, “we aren’t going to return to the previous vitality paradigm, you may completely financial institution on that. We’re not going again.”
Zia Weise contributed reporting from Dubai.