Diplomacy might have just saved humanity’s future. That, at least, is one claim coming out of the United Nations COP28 Climate Change Conference that concluded last week. In a move that stunned not only the public but also the participants, Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates—this year’s host—opened the last session of COP28 by asking if there were any objections to the latest draft of the conference’s final declaration, hammered out in an all-night negotiating session. After a moment, he gaveled the proceedings shut, stating, “Hearing no objection, it is so decided.”
What was decided? The core of the 21-page agreement is a pledge for “[t]ransitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems” in a manner that is “just, orderly and equitable.” These words mark the first time a major multilateral agreement called for the signatories to begin moving away from fossil fuel use. The terms of the COP28 agreement are especially surprising given that, as of summer 2022, diplomatic progress on climate change seemed all but dead.