COP28 MEDIA ADVISORY
November 2023
Contact:
Valentina Stackl, Oil Change International – valentina@priceofoil.org (at COP28 week 1)
Nicole Rodel, Oil Change International – nicole@priceofoil.org (at COP28 both weeks)
Al Johnson-Kurts, Oil Change International – al@priceofoil.org (at COP28 both weeks)
This media advisory outlines:Â
- Overview of Oil Change International expectations and themes at COP28
- Latest releases:Â
- New data on Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies
- Inflation Reduction Act Briefing
- Japanâs Fossil Finance BriefingÂ
- Pre-COP quote from OCIÂ
- OCI COP28 side events list
- Recent Oil Change International COP28 pressÂ
Overview of Oil Change International (OCI) expectations and themes at COP28:
Record heat. Deadly floods. Toxic air. It has never been clearer that the world must stop burning fossil fuels if we want a safe, livable planet. And yet, the fossil fuel industry is pumping more and more gas and oil, expanding its business, lying to us, and raking in deadly profits, as millions of people are displaced, harmed, and killed. This has to stop. To make a better world for all of us, today and for generations to come, governments at UN Climate Talks must:Â
1) Stop all new fossil fuel expansion, 2) secure a full, fair, fast, funded phase-out of fossil fuels,Â
3) without delays, greenwashing, and dangerous distractions like CCS, 4) with rich countries who bear historic responsibility for the climate crisis moving first and fastest and 5)making polluters pay to free up trillions in fair public funding for a just transition. They must also massively scale up their public funding on fair terms for the global energy transition away from fossil fuels and for the loss and damage they are responsible for.
The call for a just and equitable phase out of all fossil has been gaining momentum:Â
At last yearâs COP27 80 countries were calling for fossil fuel phase out to be included in the final outcome, earlier this year over half a million people marched ahead of the UN Secretary Generalâs Climate Ambition Summit demanding a fossil fuel phase out, thousands of health professionals called for an âaccelerated, just and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels as the decisive path to health for allâ, and COP President Sultan Al Jaber has stated the inclusion of fossil fuel phase out has emerged as a priority for many stakeholders.
At the UN climate talks in Dubai, fossil fuel phase out is for the first time at the top of the agenda, as well as an agreement to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency.Â
To limit warming to 1.5°C, fossil fuel phase out targets established by the International Energy Agency and IPCC must be deployed alongside renewable energy and energy efficiency targets, which are all achievable at COP28. The International Energy Agencyâs 2023 Net Zero Roadmap report reaffirms that countries must not develop new oil, gas, or coal â and some existing fields and infrastructure will need to be closed early â to remain within the internationally agreed upon temperature limit.
It will be key to ensure poorly defined âabatementâ technologies used to distract from the need for a full and fair phase out of all fossil fuels, will not be included in any final COP28 agreements. These technologies have a long history of failure but are being promoted by the fossil fuel industry and government enablers to avoid calls for a fossil fuel phaseout.
Countries with high incomes, diversified economies, and outsized historical responsibility for causing the climate crisis, claim to be climate leaders while planning new oil and gas extraction incompatible with a livable future. They must also provide funding for the global energy transition away from fossil fuels and for the loss and damage they are responsible for.
Themes:
At COP28, reach out to us to connect with spokespeople to cover:Â
- Government policy and COP28 negotiations on fossil fuel phase out, renewable energy, the Global Stocktake
- Energy-related initiatives
- Shifting public finance and subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy, including Clean Energy Transition Partnership, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and Global Financial Architecture Reform
- Industry influence, false solutions, and âabatementâ debates
- U.S. regional context, including frontline activist delegation
- Africa regional context, including frontline activist delegation
- Asia regional context
OCI will have spokespeople available on the ground at COP28 for interviews and press panels, as well as representatives in alternative timezones for those journalists not in attendance in Dubai.Â
Latest releases:
New data on Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies:
Oil Change International will be publishing a new resource on Carbon Capture and Storage technologies on November 27, that will include the latest data and case studies on the fossil fuel industryâs favorite distraction. Data will be available here.Â
Inflation Reduction Act Briefing:
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) fails to reduce fossil fuel production and alleviate impact on environmental justice communities, according to a new briefing by Oil Change International titled âBidenâs Fossil Fuel Fail: How U.S. Oil and Gas Supply Rises under the Inflation Reduction Act, Exacerbating Environmental Injustice. The briefing was released on November 20th, and a Presentation of the findings taking place at COP28, details TBD.
Japanâs Fossil Finance Briefing:
Oil Change International will release a background briefing on how Japanâs fossil finance threatens to derail the energy transition in Asia and globally. Despite the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels, Japan is driving the expansion of liquified gas (LNG) and other fossil-based technologies like ammonia co-firing across Asia and globally. This will worsen the climate crisis and harm communities and ecosystems. Communities and movements are rising up â particularly in the Global South â to oppose Japanâs efforts to derail the transition to renewable-based energy systems. Briefing is available here.
Pre-COP quote from OCI:
Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy Manager at Oil Change International said: âAt the UN Climate Talks in Dubai, it is imperative that countries come to an agreement on immediately ending fossil fuel expansion and building a just and equitable phase out of all fossil fuels, enabled by providing the necessary funding to triple renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency.Â
âLast year at COP27 a group of 80 countries pushed for an agreement on phasing out fossil fuels â and at this yearâs negotiations, governments must agree to a rapid, equitable, and funded phase out of all fossil fuels. A liveable future for all quite literally depends on it. Governments will need to aggressively tackle fossil fuel production and use and deploy renewable energy at scale if they want to meet their own goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. The alternative is climate failure and a chaotic, expensive transition with lots of stranded assets, with unprecedented human cost.â
OCI COP28 side events list:
- 2 December: Side event on fossil fuel phase out on stop funding fossils as well as public finance for what we want to see (with Oil Change International, Climate Analytics, Heinrich Boll, HRW, Recourse)
- 3 December: Side event on fossil fuel phase out with frontline voices from around the world (with Oil Change International, Earthworks, and Center for Biological Diversity)
- 4 December: Climate Registry pavilion event: âManaging the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. What is required?â
Recent Oil Change International COP28 press:Â
- Over 100 Organizations urge COP28 President in open letter: Rethink Fossil Fuel Strategy
- Report confirms Governments’ fossil fuel expansion plans would blow 1.5C limit
- Fossil Fuel Phase Out top of the agenda at COP28 preliminary talks
- Press release: World Energy Outlook 2023
- EU sets path to secure fossil fuel phase out agreement at COP28
- Fossil fuel phase out agreements at COP28 can be a reality
- Pope Francis signals support for fossil fuel phase out ahead of crucial climate negotiationsÂ
Hi! Remember that coal includes in fossil burning.