Originally slated to conclude on Tuesday, the World Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai has been extended, as representatives from around 200 countries grapple with the inclusion of the global phase-out of coal, oil, and gas in the final declaration.

An initial draft, which did not encompass the ambitious goals of phasing out fossil fuels and limiting global warming to a maximum of one and a half degrees, faced widespread rejection, including from the EU and the USA.

In an interview with our colleagues from RTL.lu, Luxembourg's Minister for the Environment, Serge Wilmes, highlighted the need for a new text that garners unanimous adoption. The challenge, according to Wilmes, lies in building bridges between countries that want to go further, those most impacted by climate change, and those with economies heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

Minister Wilmes underscored Luxembourg's unwavering commitment to reaching an agreement, expressing the delegation's willingness to stay in Dubai until consensus is achieved, even if it means going into extra time. However, due to a Government Council meeting on Wednesday, the Minister himself will have to depart on Tuesday evening, while a Luxembourg delegation continues negotiations on-site, led by the EU.

In his function as Minister for the Environment, Serge Wilmes travelled twice to Dubai. Once at the beginning with Grand Duke Henri and then again towards the end to finalise negotiations. When asked about this, the Minister of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) explained that "there was no way around it," pointing out that there are "distinct phases" to a COP.

A first phase involved heads of state and government. Since Prime Minister Luc Frieden was unable to attend, Luxembourg's head of state travelled to Dubai instead, but the latter needs to be accompanied by a minister. Wilmes would therefore have travelled with the Grand Duke as the minister responsible for environmental affairs. The real negotiations take place at the end of a COP and it is important for the Luxembourg minister for the environment to be there, Wilmes said.

Addressing concerns about environmental impact, Minister Wilmes assured that all travel, including his trips to Dubai, will be CO2-compensated, aligning with practices already established by the previous government.