COP28: BOGA Calls for Agreement to Phase Out Fossil Fuels

On Monday, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) called for the Dubai Climate Summit (COP28) to agree on the gradual elimination of all fossil fuels to limit the temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5°C and align with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

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"The growing impacts of climate change... are becoming increasingly visible. We cannot ignore the root cause of these crises, namely our ongoing dependence on coal, oil, and gas," it said.

Even the rapid growth of renewable energy currently leaves the door open to a 1.5°C temperature increase, so a "gradual, orderly, and fair elimination of all fossil fuel production and consumption" is necessary to achieve temperature limits.

The Alliance also calls for the phased reduction of fossil fuel subsidies "as soon as possible" and the cessation of fossil fuel financing, along with better planning and support for just transitions from oil and gas to make this goal possible.

"We must plan for an orderly and fair transition aligned with 1.5°C, rather than risking the abrupt closure of uneconomical oil and gas production," BOGA said.

To meet this gradual reduction of fossil fuels until complete elimination, BOGA proposes a "strong reform of the financial system and the deployment of innovative financing" to accompany the entire process and support vulnerable and developing economies in their transitions.

Launched at COP26 in Glasgow, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance brings together Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Greenland, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Marshall Islands, Portugal, the province of Quebec in Canada, Samoa, Spain, Sweden, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wales, and the states of Washington and California.