COP28 leaders call for ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels in final push at climate talks

DUBAI—Officials from the United Arab Emirates leading talks at the United Nations climate conference proposed a compromise agreement on Wednesday that calls for the world to transition away from fossil fuels, seeking to bridge differences between big energy-producing nations and countries that want to completely phase out coal, oil and natural gas.

The proposed deal, circulated after all-night talks, calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” It says the shift to clean energy for the global economy should accelerate this decade with the aim of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Scientists say that is crucial to fulfilling the Paris Accord, the landmark climate agreement that calls for governments to attempt to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures.

If approved, the deal would be the first time a U.N. climate agreement has called for governments to cut back on fossil fuels. Scientists have long said it, but big fossil-fuel producers led by Saudi Arabia and fast-growing developing nations such as China and India have historically rebuffed pressure to end the use of the fuels.

It remained unclear whether Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations would support the agreement. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of the U.A.E.’s national oil company and president of COP28, proposed the document after consulting with delegates across the U.N. climate conference, which includes more than 190 countries. The agreement must be supported by all countries for it to be approved.

The U.S., Europe and nations on the front lines of climate change had been calling for a phaseout of fossil fuels, but U.A.E. negotiators dropped the idea late in the negotiations. Saudi officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Environmentalists immediately praised the new language on fossil fuels.

The “text sends a strong signal that world leaders recognize that a sharp turn away from fossil fuels toward clean energy in this critical decade and beyond, aligned with the science, is essential to meet our climate goals,” said Rachel Cleetus, an economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The proposed compromise also calls for global renewable energy capacity to triple by 2030, along with a doubling of the rate of energy efficiency improvements.

Write to Matthew Dalton at Matthew.Dalton@wsj.com, Stacy Meichtry at Stacy.Meichtry@wsj.com and Sha Hua at sha.hua@wsj.com