First-ever climate deal on fossil fuels adopted at COP28

The first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels has been approved after a meeting between nearly 200 nations in Dubai on Wednesday.

Fossil fuels have long been labelled the top culprit of climate change behind the world’s environmental crisis.

Burning fossil fuels is driving global warming, risking millions of lives. However, so far, governments have never collectively agreed to stop using them.

The agreement came after 13 days of talk and another sleepless night at COP 28, happening this year in a country of oil wealth.

"You did step up, you showed flexibility, you put common interest ahead of self-interest," COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber said.

The deal calls for all countries to move away as possible from using fossil fuels, but not phase them out, something several governments had requested.

The agreement proved to be difficult to reach for quite some time. 

Sultan Al Jaber hours earlier released a draft of the agreement aiming to bring onboard countries from islands fearing extinction to Saudi Arabia, which has led to keep exporting its oil.

Island nations hard-hit by climate change are in critical danger, with representative Samoa saying they were "not in the room" when the deal was approved

Climate change activist Licypriya Kangujam kicked out of COP28. (Photo: X)

“Confront realities, and set the world in the world in the right direction,” the COP28 president warned.

The agreement recognised deep, rapid and sustained reductions if humanity is to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

"For the first time in 30 years, we might now reach the beginning of the end of fossil fuels," EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said before heading into the plenary session.

European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra.

Meanwhile, campaign groups and activists argue that “cavernous loopholes” are still in place.

Campaign groups also say the agreement doesn't go far enough.

Greenpeace was the first to criticise saying the agreement won't be possible to achieve the transition in a "fair and fast manner"

Jean Su of the Center for Biological Diversity also argued that the agreement takes only fossil fuels in energy, leaving behind critical industries such as plastic production.