Oil Change International Response to the First Draft of the COP31 Cover Decision

Shady Khalil, Global Policy Senior Campaigner, Oil Change International said:

“The first draft of the COP31 cover decision has some promising ingredients, but it's far too early to know whether governments will turn them into a meal worth serving. There is welcome recognition that wealthy countries are failing to deliver on climate finance promises and their obligation to provide public finance, triple adaptation finance, and the need for countries to develop roadmaps to transition away from fossil fuels.

“Some key ingredients are missing. Governments must strengthen this draft with concrete commitments to end fossil fuel expansion, deliver fair and funded fossil fuel phaseout roadmaps, and ensure wealthy countries pay their fair share without saddling Global South countries with more debt. Other ingredients are rotten and should be taken out, such as dangerous distractions like CCS and CDR or a thinly veiled push for fossil gas expansion. Negotiations over the next days will suggest if governments need to prove they can deliver.

“The success of COP is not determined by the cover decision alone, but also the health and progress of negotiated agenda items, such as the establishment of just transition mechanism.”