A few hours before the close of Cop28 in Dubai, and after many hours of waiting, the new draft of the final document proposed by the presidency of Sultan Ahmed al Jaber has arrived to close the United Nations climate conference. The text, which will now be brought to the plenary session for discussion, has already prompted numerous reactions, above all regarding the absence of any reference to the "phase out" of fossil fuels — a total abandonment, but within a reasonable timeframe — repeatedly called for by both United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the vast majority of the global scientific community.

According to what has emerged from the second draft of the document, which also serves as a stocktake of actions taken and yet to be taken (global stocktake), the production and consumption of fossil fuels will be reduced by 2050 in line with scientific advice in order to stay within the 1.5-degree increase in average global temperature. The text, however, avoids mentioning the phase out — that is, explicit references to the "elimination" of fossil sources — sidestepping one of the central sticking points of the entire conference. Moreover, despite the presence of a reference to reducing the production and consumption of fossil fuels, there is no element that underscores the urgency of such action, nor the emergency nature of the measures to be implemented, which are fundamental to containing global warming. Another element that stands out is the scant reference to fossil fuels. In a text of over 11,000 words, the term "fossil fuel" is used only 3 times: not enough.

We will not go silently to our watery graves. We will not accept an outcome that leads to the devastation of our country and the disappearance of millions, if not billions of people belonging to the most vulnerable communities

John Silk, head of delegation for the Marshall Islands