For the first time ever, and despite being hosted the United Arab Emirates, the COP agrees to “transition away” from fossil fuels. This is the first time in over 35 years of meeting internationally to address climate change, that the UNFCC has reached an agreement that even mentions reducing fossil fuels.
Though not the firm commitment to “phase out” fossil fuels that many attendees were hoping for, this agreement nevertheless goes further in specifically calling for nations to begin reducing their dependence upon fossil fuels than any other prior agreement did. Now, the question becomes “how can such a transition happen” without compromising the reliability of the grid? The answer was not provided in the text of the agreement. But the answer was provided in the pledges made during the conference: a tripling of nuclear power, renewables and energy efficiency. Increasingly, nations will be looking to see how they can replace fossil fuels with another energy source that is equally as firm and reliable. They will eventually find their way to nuclear power if they don’t already have hydro or geothermal resources.
Read more at Reuters “Nations strike deal at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels,” by Valerie Volcovici, Gloria Dickie and William James, December 13, 2023.