The European Union supports India’s call to phase down fossil fuel use as part of a COP27 agreement. This was said by the bloc’s climate policy chief Frans Timmermans. He added that the EU will give all support as long as it does not undermine previous agreements to reduce coal use.
India prefers that countries agree to phase out all fossil fuels at the United Nations climate summit in Egypt.
Better full phase-out than partial
According to India, this is a better solution than the narrower agreement to phase out coal reached at COP26 last year.
Timmermans said at a news conference that he supports any call to phase out all fossil fuels.
He added we must also ensure that this call does not undermine previous agreements on coal phasing.
Timmermans said if it builds on what was agreed in Glasgow, the EU will support this proposal from India.
At last year’s climate talks in Glasgow, India was among the countries that resisted efforts to phase out coal. The final agreement was dropping language calling for a phase-out of coal-fired power in favor of a phase-down.
A broader push to reduce the use of all fossil fuels would focus attention on oil and gas consumers and producers, as well as countries that rely on coal.
Many issues, many disagreements
On Monday night, the Egyptian COP27 Presidency released a two-page sketch of what could become a deal. Bullet points are outlining many of the issues countries have requested be included. But, some of them have deeply divided nations.
The document made no mention of fossil fuels, despite the fact that a COP Presidency spokesperson later stated that the list was not exhaustive and did not include the language that would be used in the final version.