{"id":291012,"date":"2023-12-12T16:12:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T15:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=291012"},"modified":"2023-12-12T16:12:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T15:12:13","slug":"cop28s-fossil-fuel-phaseout-a-comedy-of-errors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=291012","title":{"rendered":"\u201cCOP28\u2019s Fossil Fuel Phaseout: A Comedy of Errors\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate Summit\u2019s U-Turn \u2013 From Heroic Vows to Muffled Whispers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/12\/11\/fossil-fuel-phaseout-dropped-cop28-00131066<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a performance worthy of the finest comedians, the COP28 climate summit has managed to turn its bold proclamation of ending fossil fuels into a farcical retreat. Politico\u2019s recent article, dated December 11, 2023, paints a vivid picture of this tragicomic scene.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dramatic U-Turn in the Land of Oil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article begins with a dramatic setting: the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, where the once-loud calls for a fossil fuel phaseout have been reduced to mere whispers of \u2018reducing\u2019 them. This grandiose plan, initially supported by environmental groups and certain nations, has fizzled out, much to the chagrin of activists and self-proclaimed environmental saviors. As Politico puts it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe prospect of a deal to end fossil fuels faded\u2026when organizers\u2026released a draft proposal that merely suggested reducing them instead.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Chorus of Discontent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, in a statement that reeks of hyperbole, declares, \u201cCOP28 is now on the verge of complete failure.\u201d Meanwhile, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, during a fractious meeting, laments that the draft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201creally doesn\u2019t meet the expectations\u2026in terms of the urgently needed transition to clean sources of energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The irony here is thick \u2013 the very champions of these policies seem shocked that their unrealistic expectations are unmet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Realists Strike Back<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a twist of practicality, representatives of countries including China and India firmly oppose any language suggesting a phaseout or phase-down of specific energy sources. These nations, perhaps more anchored in reality, recognize the impracticality and economic harakiri such policies would entail. The article notes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cNegotiations\u2026were expected to continue through the wee hours\u2026the scheduled final day of the summit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Green Disillusionment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental advocates and some EU members view this change as a betrayal, their utopian dreams clashing with the unyielding wall of reality. The Marshall Islands\u2019 John Silk melodramatically states,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe Republic of the Marshall Islands did not come here to sign our death warrant,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

highlighting the emotional, rather than rational, underpinning of such arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Middle Ground or A Mirage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some, like Mohamed Adow of Power Shift Africa, see the deal as laying \u201cthe ground for transformational change,\u201d others express skepticism. French Minister for Energy Transition Agn\u00e8s Pannier-Runacher melodically laments,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what will happen to my kids tomorrow if we stick to this text.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion: The Theater of Absurdity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COP28 summit, as outlined in Politico\u2019s report, emerges not as a forum of rational discourse and pragmatic solutions but as a theater of the absurd. The retreat from a fossil fuel phaseout to a vague suggestion of \u2018reducing\u2019 them is not just a policy failure; it is a testament to the unrealistic and often theatrical nature of the climate debate. It lays bare the chasm between the lofty ideals of environmental activism and the pragmatic realities of global energy needs. One can\u2019t help but appreciate the humor in watching these climate crusaders grapple with the inconvenient truth that their lofty alarmist aspirations often crumble under the weight of practicality. Welcome to the real world, where good intentions meet the hard road of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addendum: Michael Mann has the sads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

As the 28th United Nations climate summit (COP28) draws to a close in Dubai, after another year of devastating heat waves<\/a>, droughts, wildfires<\/a>, storms and record high <\/a>global temperatures, the entire process is threatening to break down. Not only has COP28 failed to meet this moment demanding dramatic and immediate climate action \u2014 it has made a caricature of it.https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/story\/2023-12-11\/climate-summit-dubai-cop28<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a performance worthy of the finest comedians, the COP28 climate summit has managed to turn its bold proclamation of ending fossil fuels into a farcical retreat.\u00a0Politico\u2019s recent article, dated December 11, 2023, paints a vivid picture of this tragicomic scene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":291016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"In a performance worthy of the finest comedians, the COP28 climate summit has managed to turn its bold proclamation of ending fossil fuels into a farcical retreat.\u00a0Politico\u2019s recent article, dated December 11, 2023, paints a vivid picture of this tragicom","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691819079,691818341,691818260,691818618,691818886,691818237,691818215],"class_list":{"0":"post-291012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-al-gore","9":"tag-china","10":"tag-cop28","11":"tag-energy-transition","12":"tag-fossil-fuel","13":"tag-india","14":"tag-michael-mann","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0laughing-people-as-an-illustration.webp?fit=1600%2C669&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1dHK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":292220,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=292220","url_meta":{"origin":291012,"position":0},"title":"COP 28: Climate Hysteric Peter Kalmus Has the Sads","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"21\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the latest episode of what could be mistaken for a satirical comedy, Dr. Peter Kalmus, a self-proclaimed climate activist and NASA scientist, has expressed his dismay over the recent COP28 summit. 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