COP, Look, Listen : Issue 7 – Special Edition
Welcome back to COP, LOOK, LISTEN. As we head into the final days of negotiations, everyone is asking the same question: ‘can we get a deal that includes a fossil fuel phase out?’ Vested fossil interests have managed to block this language at prior summits and the fight continues to divide parties in Dubai. One key strategy is to “push non-transformative solutions” to the climate crisis – often referred to as “false solutions”. Perhaps the most contentious of these is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
Why Does This Matter?
On Day 1 of the summit, InfluenceMap reported that over 80% of corporate engagement on CCS was at odds with IPCC guidance, tracking over 600 examples from 2021-2023.
These arguments are used to weaken Net Zero targets and justify continued use of (or even expanded investment in) oil, fossil gas and other polluting fuels for decades to come.
Shockingly, they found that 16 of the G20 countries have adopted positions on CCS that mirror fossil fuel companies. Needless to say, roadmaps from the International Energy Agency, IPCC and others state the exact opposite must happen to keep global warming within a liveable threshold.
In today’s Special Edition we examine how the fossil fuel lobby is using its incredible wealth and influence to land these talking points online – at the exact moment the fate of ‘phase out v. phase down’ hangs in the balance at COP28. The full research is well worth a read.
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