INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil
fuels to avert the worst of climate change, a first of its kind deal signaling the eventual end of the oil age.The deal struck in Dubai
after two weeks of hard-fought negotiations was meant to send a powerful signal to investors and policy-makers that the world is united in
its desire to break with fossil fuels, something scientists say is the last best hope to stave off climate catastrophe.COP28 President
producer group OPEC, which argued that the world can slash emissions without shunning specific fuels.That battle pushed the summit a full
day into overtime on Wednesday, and had some observers worried the negotiations would end at an impasse.Members of the Organization of the
governments rely heavily on those revenues.Small climate-vulnerable island states, meanwhile, were among the most vocal supporters of
language to phase out fossil fuels and had the backing of huge oil and gas producers such as the United States, Canada and Norway, along
climate envoy John Kerry said after the deal was adopted.The lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, Anne Rasmussen,
speeding up efforts to reduce coal use, and accelerating technologies such as carbon capture and storage that can clean up
hard-to-decarbonize industries.A representative for Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal, saying it would help the world limit global warming to
Critics say the technology remains expensive and unproven at scale, and argue it is a false flag to justify continued drilling.Former U.S
climate-conscious administrations have struggled to pass laws aligned with their climate vows through a divided Congress.U.S
President Joe Biden scored a major victory on that front last year with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which contained hundreds of
billions of dollars in clean energy subsidies.Mounting public support for renewables and electric vehicles from Brussels to Beijing in
recent years, along with improving technology, sliding costs, and rising private investment have also driven rapid growth in their
demand will finally hit its peak.Rachel Cleetus, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, praised the climate deal, but noted
that it does not commit rich countries to offer more financing to help developing countries pay for the transition away from fossil
are seriously insufficient and must be improved in the time ahead in order to ensure low- and middle-income countries can transition to
