Nations strike deal at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels

COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber called the deal "historic" but added that its true success would be in its implementation.

Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit on Wednesday (Dec 13) to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst impacts of climate change, a first of its kind deal signalling 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 now united in its desire to break with fossil fuels, something scientists say is the last best hope to stave off climate catastrophe.

COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber called the deal "historic" but added that its true success would be in its implementation.

"We are what we do, not what we say," he told the crowded plenary at the summit. "We must take the steps necessary to turn this agreement into tangible actions."

Several countries cheered the deal for accomplishing something elusive in decades of climate talks.