COP27 informal draft omits India\'s proposal of phasing down all fossil fuels

New Delhi: The UN published an informal draft on Thursday and it doesn't mention phase down of all fossil fuels, a proposal that was put forward by India and supported by the European Union and many other countries at the ongoing UN climate summit.

The European Union's climate chief Frans Timmermans later told the media the 20-page document is a “compilation of submissions” and not a draft cover text.

The informal draft, described as a “non-paper” by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, expressed “deep regret” that developed countries, which have the most capabilities financially and technologically to lead in reducing their emissions, continue to fall short in doing so.

It encouraged “the continued efforts to accelerate measures towards the phase down of unabated coal power and phase out and rationalise inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, in line with national circumstances and recognising the need for support towards just transitions”. Nearly the same language was used in the Glasgow Climate deal last year.

When contacted, a spokesperson of the Environment Ministry said the Indian negotiators do not wish to comment “as negotiations are going on”.

A member of the India delegation told PTI on condition of anonymity that hectic negotiations and discussions on key issues like mitigation, climate finance, and loss and damage were on and there's a lot of work to do.

“The talks are likely to extend to Saturday and even Sunday... It seems that developed nations do not want to move ahead,” the member said. The non-paper also doesn't mention when a loss and damage finance facility will be launched and what its contours will be.

Poor and developing countries have demanded that the COP27 concludes with a decision to launch a fund to address loss and damage -- a term used for irreparable destruction caused by climate change-fuelled disasters.

The informal draft “stresses the importance of exerting all efforts at all levels to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”.

The 20-page document is 8,400 words long as compared to the Glasgow pact, which was around 4,600 words and was in itself one of the longest cover texts in the history of UN climate summits.

India had proposed on Saturday that the talks wrap up with a decision to “phase down” all fossil fuels and not just coal. Timmermans had told the media on Tuesday that the bloc would support India's proposal “if it comes on top of what we already agreed in Glasgow”.

According to media reports, US climate envoy John Kerry said the US will support the proposal as long as it focuses on “unabated oil and gas”.