The reaction from some NGOs was swift and dismayed, with a Greenpeace spokesman saying it paved the way for “climate hell”. The document, described as a “non-paper” indicating it is still far from a final version, reiterates the goal from last year’s Glasgow climate accord to “accelerate measures to phase out renewable energy from coal and abolition and rationalization of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies’. Last year was the first time a resolution agreed by all parties even mentioned fossil fuels and coal as part of climate. However, it does not call for phasing out all fossil fuels, as India and the EU have called for. The text does not include details on creating a damage and loss fund, a key demand from the most climate-vulnerable countries such as island nations. Instead, it “welcomes” the fact that the parties agreed for the first time to include “issues related to loss and damage responsive financing arrangements” on the summit agenda. It does not include a timetable for deciding whether a separate fund should be created or what it would look like, giving negotiators time to continue working on the contentious issue. The document “stresses the importance of making every effort at all levels to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature target of keeping the increase in global average temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and continuing efforts to limiting the increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”. The document is based on demands that representatives from nearly 200 countries sought to include in the final agreement. It will provide the basis for negotiations in the coming days, which are likely to enrich and rework the text. Greenpeace International’s head of the Cop27 delegation, Yeb Saño, echoed the general dismay, saying: “The Cop27 presidency is putting the pedal to the metal on the highway to climate hell. “Having not even mentioned fossil fuels in the first place, the draft text is a disclaimer for capturing the urgency expressed by many countries to see all oil and gas added to coal for at least a phase-out. It’s time to end denial, the fossil fuel era must end fast.” The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Joseph Sikulu, of Pacific Climate Warriors and 350.org, said: “The cover text released this morning does not represent the call from both the negotiating halls and civil society for a fair, just and managed gradual abolish all fossil fuels. Anything less than what we achieved in Glasgow will see Cop27 branded a failure by the world.” Stand.earth’s Tzeporah Berman was also disappointed, arguing that the draft “ignores the science of 1.5C”. He added: “The phase down of ‘unrelenting coal’ is still ongoing, but ‘unrelenting’ is a gap big enough for a drilling rig to pass through.” But Carbon Brief’s Dr Simon Evans tweeted about what he called “words of wisdom” from Climate Home: “This is not a text that has been discussed by countries, but evidence that reflects what Egypt has gathered from consultations … Formal negotiations on the text have yet to begin.”
