At COP28, Nations Agree to Move away from Fossil Fuels
2023-12-14
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Nearly 200 countries agreed on Wednesday to move away from using planet-warming fossil fuels.
2The deal came after two weeks of intense negotiations at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28.
3World leaders gathered in Dubai for the meeting.
4The agreement was meant to send a powerful message that the world is united in its desire to break with fossil fuels.
5Scientists say the agreement is the last best hope to prevent climate catastrophe.
6But nations have not always followed climate agreements made in the past.
7COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber called the deal "historic."
8He added that its true success would be in taking action.
9"We are what we do, not what we say," he said.
10"We must take the steps necessary to turn this agreement into... actions."
11Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide said, "It is the first time that the world unites around such a clear text on the need to transition away from fossil fuels."
12More than 100 countries had pushed for strong language in the COP28 agreement to "phase out" oil, gas, and coal use.
13However, they faced powerful opposition from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
14The organization controls nearly 80 percent of the world's proven oil reserves as well as about one-third of worldwide oil output.
15The group, led by Saudi Arabia, said the world can cut emissions without rejecting specific fuels.
16That dispute had some observers worried that an agreement would not come together.
17The lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, Anne Rasmussen, criticized the deal as not strong enough.
18But she did not officially object to the agreement.
19Her speech in Dubai drew a standing applause that lasted nearly two minutes.
20Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Dan Jorgensen noted one reason the deal was impressive.
21"We're standing here in an oil country, surrounded by oil countries, and we made the decision saying let's move away from oil and gas," he said.
22The deal does not call for "phasing out" fossil fuels.
23It calls for "transitioning away" from fossil fuels to reach "net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science."
24In some ways, that language describes what is already happening.
25Some governments have enacted policies in recent years to move to a greener economy.
26Europe and the United States have retired some coal-fired power plants.
27And many countries have policies meant to increase sales of electric vehicles.
28The deal calls on governments to move even faster in several areas.
29They include increasing renewable energy by three times by 2030, speeding up efforts to reduce coal use, and developing technologies such as carbon capture.
30German climate diplomat Jennifer Morgan said there was not much difference between "phasing out" and "transitioning away."
31She said, "I think the 'phase-out' was about sending a clear signal. And I think the 'just transition away from' is a way of phrasing the phase-out" for poorer nations who cannot act as quickly as richer ones.
32Li Shuo of the Asia Society told the Associated Press that when the two phrases are translated into Mandarin or Japanese, there is almost no difference.
33The Reuters news agency reported that a source familiar with Saudi Arabia's position described the deal as "a menu where every country can follow its own pathway."
34China, the world's biggest carbon polluter today, suggested that industrialized countries should take the lead.
35Zhao Yingmin is Chia's vice environment minister.
36He said after the deal was approved, "Developed countries have...historical responsibilities for climate change."
37I'm Caty Weaver.
1Nearly 200 countries agreed on Wednesday to move away from using planet-warming fossil fuels. The deal came after two weeks of intense negotiations at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28. 2World leaders gathered in Dubai for the meeting. The agreement was meant to send a powerful message that the world is united in its desire to break with fossil fuels. 3Scientists say the agreement is the last best hope to prevent climate catastrophe. But nations have not always followed climate agreements made in the past. 4COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber called the deal "historic." He added that its true success would be in taking action. "We are what we do, not what we say," he said. "We must take the steps necessary to turn this agreement into... actions." 5Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide said, "It is the first time that the world unites around such a clear text on the need to transition away from fossil fuels." 6More than 100 countries had pushed for strong language in the COP28 agreement to "phase out" oil, gas, and coal use. However, they faced powerful opposition from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The organization controls nearly 80 percent of the world's proven oil reserves as well as about one-third of worldwide oil output. The group, led by Saudi Arabia, said the world can cut emissions without rejecting specific fuels. 7That dispute had some observers worried that an agreement would not come together. 8The lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, Anne Rasmussen, criticized the deal as not strong enough. But she did not officially object to the agreement. Her speech in Dubai drew a standing applause that lasted nearly two minutes. 9Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Dan Jorgensen noted one reason the deal was impressive. "We're standing here in an oil country, surrounded by oil countries, and we made the decision saying let's move away from oil and gas," he said. 10Transitioning away from fossil fuels 11The deal does not call for "phasing out" fossil fuels. It calls for "transitioning away" from fossil fuels to reach "net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science." 12In some ways, that language describes what is already happening. Some governments have enacted policies in recent years to move to a greener economy. 13Europe and the United States have retired some coal-fired power plants. And many countries have policies meant to increase sales of electric vehicles. 14The deal calls on governments to move even faster in several areas. They include increasing renewable energy by three times by 2030, speeding up efforts to reduce coal use, and developing technologies such as carbon capture. 15German climate diplomat Jennifer Morgan said there was not much difference between "phasing out" and "transitioning away." She said, "I think the 'phase-out' was about sending a clear signal. And I think the 'just transition away from' is a way of phrasing the phase-out" for poorer nations who cannot act as quickly as richer ones. 16Li Shuo of the Asia Society told the Associated Press that when the two phrases are translated into Mandarin or Japanese, there is almost no difference. 17The Reuters news agency reported that a source familiar with Saudi Arabia's position described the deal as "a menu where every country can follow its own pathway." 18China, the world's biggest carbon polluter today, suggested that industrialized countries should take the lead. 19Zhao Yingmin is Chia's vice environment minister. He said after the deal was approved, "Developed countries have...historical responsibilities for climate change." 20I'm Caty Weaver. 21Hai Do adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press and Reuters. 22______________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24catastrophe - n. a terrible disaster 25text - n. words on a writing or document 26transition - n. change from one state to another 27phase out - v. to stop something gradually over a period of time 28specific - adj. special or particular 29applause - n. cheer 30translate - v. to change words from one language to another language