Environmental campaigners urged climate envoys from dozens of nations gathering yesterday in Berlin to discuss a global deadline for phasing out fossil fuels and ways of increasing aid to poor countries hit by global warming.
About 40 countries, including the United States, China, India and Brazil, are attending the Petersberg Climate Dialogue being held in the German capital. The two-day meeting is a key negotiating step in the run-up to this year’s international climate conference in Dubai, known as COP28.
Campaign groups are concerned that countries such as the U.S., COP28 host United Arab Emirates and the European Union back the idea of carbon capture as a means of allowing oil and gas extraction to continue or even expand. Scientists say technologies for removing planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere aren’t proven at scale and could require huge investments at the expense of cheaper alternatives such as solar and wind power.
“They are trying their best to prolong the use of fossil fuels, especially by focusing on (…) carbon capture and storage, which is deeply worrying for us,” said Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International.
