Landmark deal made at UN climate talks

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Nearly 200 nations agreed to “transition away” from fossil fuels at the COP28 summit

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference came to a close on Wednesday after going into overtime as participating countries negotiated the language included in a final agreement on the next steps to address climate change.

The language of the deal accepted this morning says that countries agree to transition "away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero in keeping with the science."

U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry called the COP28 deal a "clear, unambiguous message" that the world needs to move away from fossil fuels moment in his closing press conference on Wednesday, emphasizing that while compromises had to be made, it's hugely significant that even countries that rely economically on fossil fuels signed onto the agreement to transition away from them in the energy sector.

"For the very first time at a COP, fossil fuels have been on the table as a major part of our negotiations. And the decision that came out of this clearly embraces transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, so as to achieve net zero by 2050," Kerry told reporters on Wednesday.

The landmark text, named "The UAE Consensus," calls on parties to transition away from fossil fuels to reach net zero by 2050 and includes a new specific target to triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030. It includes the first-ever Global Stocktake, a process for countries and stakeholders to see where they are collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.