COP28 Deal: How Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels Is Different From Phasing-Out, And Aspects The Text Misses Out On

While the inclusion of fossil fuels in the COP28 deal is being hailed as a victory, the text does not mention the 'phase-out' of fossil fuels, which are responsible for most climate-warming emissions.

'Transitioning away' from fossil fuels is different from 'phasing-out'. Transitioning away offers a flexible approach to choose cleaner energy technologies, while phasing-out is a more rigid approach that encourages ending fossil fuel use. 

Source : Getty/ABP Live

COP28: The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or the 28th edition of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), witnessed on December 13 a historic move as a first-of-its-kind deal that urges Parties to transition away from fossil fuels was approved. This is the first global stocktake text, an assessment of progress made towards mitigating global warming since the Paris Agreement in 2015.  While the inclusion of fossil fuels in the deal