COP31 wish list puts fossil fuel phaseout back at centre of climate talks

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Countries are weighing proposals on climate finance, global warming limits and scientific cooperation as negotiators work towards a possible political agreement in Antalya.

COP31 leaders have released a list of priorities raised by countries at the UN climate talks in Türkiye, placing the contentious transition away from fossil fuels among the issues that could feature in a final political agreement.

Australia, which is steering negotiations alongside co-host Türkiye, is pushing for a broad political agreement known as a "cover decision", which would require consensus among participating countries.

As the two-week conference approaches its midpoint, the Australian team published a "Summary of Reflections" on Friday, outlining proposals raised during discussions without identifying the countries behind them.

The list includes several long-standing divisions between wealthy, developing and oil-producing nations.

"There’s all kinds of signals being sent here about what could be in the cover decision," Alden Meyer, an expert at climate think tank E3G, told AFP.

"The big question is what can survive that test of opposition by different groups of countries," he added.

One of the central proposals concerns the "transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems", a commitment reached after difficult negotiations at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.

However, explicit references to the transition were absent from the final decisions at COP29 in Azerbaijan and COP30 in Brazil, with oil-producing countries accused of resisting the language.

Another proposal calls for tripling adaptation finance, which helps developing countries strengthen infrastructure and prepare for the effects of climate change.

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