After lengthy negotiations in Dubai, nearly 200 countries on Wednesday adopted a deal stating that the world will be “transitioning away from fossil fuels” in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
In Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies, MPs discussed the results at the request of the Green Party (déi gréng).
Former Minister for the Environment and current MP Joëlle Welfring provided a rather mixed assessment from the Green Party’s standpoint. While acknowledging the significance of the phrase “transition away from fossil fuels and energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner”, which featured in the final declaration, Welfring expressed strong disappointment over the absence of a concrete commitment to exit fossil fuels:
“It’s a slap in the face for vulnerable countries, such as island states already grappling with rising sea levels. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the phrase in a final text is a notable step forward.”
Pirate Party MP Ben Polidori also voiced criticism during the parliamentary discussion:
“While we appreciate the inclusion of the call to transition away from fossil fuels in the text, we all know that the many loopholes that have been left in will be used.”
Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) MP Franz Fayot, who attended the conference, welcomed the agreement’s primary focus on the 1.5-degree limit set by the Paris Climate Agreement.
Fayot, acknowledging the challenges of reaching a compromise amid diverse participants, deemed achieving any consensus at such a large-scale conference a noteworthy accomplishment.
Minister for the Environment Serge Wilmes echoed this sentiment:
“You always have to start by recognising that 200 countries managed to agree on a text. Countries that are at very different levels in their development and are also threatened by climate change in different ways. That is an achievement.”
However, not all voices in the Chamber of Deputies were unanimous in their approval. The Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr), the Pirate Party, and the Left Party (déi Lénk) all questioned whether a Luxembourgish presence in Dubai was necessary at all.
In general, MPs criticised the choice of the United Arab Emirates as the conference venue, given its economic reliance on oil exports.
MP Luc Emering from the Democratic Party (DP) succinctly expressed this sentiment:
“If alcoholics anonymous met in a bar to discuss abstaining from drinking, most people would shake their heads.”
A majority of MPs acknowledged the compensation fund, designed to assist countries most severely affected by climate change, as a positive outcome. The specifics of financing and distribution will be deliberated in more detail during the next COP in Azerbaijan.
