Greenpeace on the climate conference: almost making history 29+ cartoons that summarize a hellish week

Nearly three decades after the first UN climate conference, Greenpeace believes that for the first time there is a realistic chance that the approximately 200 countries will decide to phase out coal, oil and gas. “We are about to make history here,” said the environmental organization’s delegation leader at the UN meeting in Dubai on Sunday, Kaisa Kosonen. She has never felt so much pressure and energy before.

She also referred to a joint call from 106 countries to phase out fossil fuels – including the EU and many countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. There is now strong pressure from Latin America and from the alliance of small island states that are seriously threatened by rising sea levels due to global warming.

Kosonen acknowledged that there is still significant resistance to ambitious decisions to phase out fossil fuels – “with Saudi Arabia at the forefront of the opposition,” as she said. The option still on the table is that there will be a blockade and no decision at all on the issue that is hotly debated in Dubai. Some developing countries are also concerned about how they can achieve the energy transition to sustainable energy on their own.

The conference with approximately 97,000 participants ends on Tuesday. However, in recent years it has been extended, usually by a day or two. (sda/dpa)