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
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
11 March 2026
De la Rey Venter, CEO of LNG player MidOcean Energy, discusses strategy, project developments and the prospects for the LNG market
10 March 2026
From Venezuela to Hormuz, the US—backed by the most powerful military force ever assembled—is redrawing not only oil and gas flows but also the global balance of energy power
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
