The UN climate summit in Dubai has culminated with almost 200 countries agreeing to “transition away” from fossil fuels.
It’s been a hard-fought win after much back-and-forth over the precise wording with some countries refusing to sign on to “phasing fossil fuels out”.
Listen to Michael Jacobs’ thoughts on COP28 here:
COP28 has also been shadowed with controversy – including when COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber said a phase-out of coal, oil, and gas would take the world “back into caves,” which he then walked back on.
In this episode of The Briefing, Michael Jacobs from the global think tank Overseas Development Institute gives us his verdict on just how successful this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference has been.
In response to Al Jaber’s comments that phasing out fossil fuel was backed with “no science” and would put the world “back into caves”, Mr Jacobs said it was “inappropriate” because today, technology is far more advances.
“We’ve now got very sophisticated solar wind power, nuclear, geothermal, hydropower. We have very advanced energy demand management systems,” he said.
“We can be far more efficient in the way we use energy… and we now know technologically how to move away from fossil fuels.
“So, it isn’t the case that it will be economically ruinous to go down the path of trying to save the planet as it was. It’s the reason why countries, even the ones that use fossil fuels and produce them like Australia, are on path now to net zero.”
To hear all of Mr Jacobs thoughts on this year’s COP28, listen to the episode of The Briefing.