No commitment to fossil fuel 'phase down' during Cop27
Cop27 leaves oil and gas unscathed
Opposition from producer countries made a commitment to ‘phase down’ fossil fuels impossible
November’s Cop27 conference ended in disappointment for climate activists after two weeks of talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh failed to produce consensus on a timeline for ending the production of fossil fuels. Some countries, along with a huge array of NGOs, came to the summit hoping to arrive at a clear schedule for phasing out oil and gas production. Kausea Natano, prime minister of Tuvalu—a Pacific archipelago highly vulnerable to rising sea levels—hit the headlines with his call for a ‘fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty’. Advocates of such a treaty demand an immediate end to new oil and gas projects and call for existing production to decline “at a pace consistent with
Also in this section
29 January 2026
Caught between LNG risks from across the Atlantic and the wounds from Russian gas dependence, Europe needs more than a simple diversification strategy
28 January 2026
The alliance looks to bolster market management credibility by bringing greater clarity and unity to output cuts and producer capacity later in 2026
23 January 2026
A strategic pivot away from Russian crude in recent weeks tees up the possibility of improved US-India trade relations
23 January 2026
The signing of a deal with a TotalEnergies-led consortium to explore for gas in a block adjoining Israel’s maritime area may breathe new life into the country’s gas ambitions
