| | | | |  | | By Minho Kim | | | |  COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber claps during a session at the U.N. climate summit on Monday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. | Rafiq Maqbool/AP | Many nations arrived at the U.N. climate talks last month hoping the world would commit to a “phase-out” of fossil fuels. But those initial wishes were all but dashed today, when COP28 organizers released a draft deal that includes no end date and instead calls only for reducing coal, oil and gas “so as to achieve net zero by, before, or around 2050,” write Karl Mathiesen, Zia Weise and Sara Schonhardt. The proposal’s language didn't just anger small island nations and environmental organizations, but also drew criticism from U.S. climate envoy John Kerry. In a fractious, closed-door meeting, Kerry said the proposal “really doesn’t meet the expectations of this COP in terms of the urgently needed transition to clean sources of energy and the phase-out of fossil fuels.” He wasn’t the only leader to express frustration in the meeting, which POLITICO listened to via an unsanctioned feed. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the French minister for energy transition, said she doesn’t know “what will happen to my kids tomorrow if we stick to this text.” Nations have been divided on how quickly to shift away from oil, coal and natural gas, the main drivers of climate change. Like other oil-rich countries, the U.S. has stopped short of calling for an end date for fossil fuels. It has instead called for phasing out “unabated” fossil fuels whose emissions are not captured. But representatives speaking on behalf of China, India and several other countries say they would not accept any language proposing either a “phase-out” or “phase-down” of specific energy sources. For many countries in Africa, ending fossil fuel usage is “a non-starter,” said an African diplomat who was granted anonymity. Today’s draft deal includes “rapidly phasing down unabated coal,” doubling the rate of energy savings and tripling global capacity of renewables by 2030 — a key goal that the U.S. and China agreed to in November. Small island nations, which face rising sea levels, sharply criticized the draft as a betrayal. “The Republic of the Marshall Islands did not come here to sign our death warrant,” said John Silk, the nation’s minister of natural resources and commerce. COP28 is scheduled to end Tuesday. But the talks could drag on, as the current proposal faces fierce opposition and harsh criticisms.
| | | It's Monday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Minho Kim. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to mkim@eenews.net.
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| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining opportunity of our time. At Equinor, we are determined to use our competence, skills, and innovative spirit to continually search for solutions that will advance the energy transition. Our ambition is to break new ground, create lasting value, and supply energy to a thriving world while achieving net zero by 2050. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | | | | | | 
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Bidenomics" economic plan at CS Wind, the largest wind tower manufacturer in the world, in Pueblo, Colorado, on Nov. 29. | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images | Inspiration and irritation: Despite U.S. voter apathy for "Bidenomics," the president's signature climate law — and its use of subsidies to boost domestic green manufacturing — is inspiring foreign governments at the United Nations climate summit, write Karl Mathiesen, Zack Colman and Charlie Cooper. Leaders in the United Kingdom, Australia and European Union say the Inflation Reduction Act opened a door to enact similar climate policies in their countries. Some think they can sell an approach that casts the clean energy transition as a kind of green patriotism that creates jobs. But the climate law has also garnered criticism from some nations — such as China and Brazil — that say it is "discriminatory" by only offering subsidies to American-made products. Shadows of partisan divide: House Republicans and Senate Democrats strived to demonstrate bipartisan unity at the climate talks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but fissures around the future of fossil fuels, emissions regulation and the Inflation Reduction Act remain, write Emma Dumain, Sara Schonhardt and Zack Colman. Both GOP and Democratic lawmakers voiced clear support for nuclear energy, new permitting rules and carbon tariffs, while diverging over proposed federal regulations to crack down on tailpipe emissions and incentives for electric vehicles. Republicans showed uniform disapproval of any commitment to phase out fossil fuels at the conclusion of COP28. GOP lawmakers at the climate conference also made it plain they’re not eager to discuss Donald Trump and his long history of denouncing climate change as a Chinese-inspired “hoax," writes Zack Colman.
| | |  Avroh S., Maya W. and Huck A. (left to right) are among the 18 young Californians suing EPA for failing to protect them from climate change. | Robin Loznak/Courtesy of Our Children’s Trust | California youth sues EPA for climate inaction
The law firm that led the victory of a youth climate case in Montana is filing a second lawsuit that accuses the federal government of violating young people’s constitutional right to a healthy life, writes Lesley Clark in an exclusive. The first federal climate case, Juliana v. United States, brought complaints against a swath of government agencies. The new lawsuit instead targets the Environmental Protection Agency for allowing unacceptable levels of carbon pollution. The new complaint, Genesis v. EPA, asks the court to rule that the agency has fallen short of its duty to address climate change. Major oil companies welcome Biden’s offshore regulation
Shell and Chevron are among the Biden administration's unlikely allies in its efforts to require costly cleanup insurance for offshore drilling, writes Heather Richards. A proposed regulation from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management aims to ensure cleanup costs for offshore drilling sites do not fall on the public. It would require largely small oil companies to secure an estimated $9 billion in insurance. Big oil companies are embracing the proposed federal rule, which could limit their obligations to bear the cost of decommissioning wells that they owned in the past.
| | | | A message from Equinor:   | | | | | Fewer fish: A quarter of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of extinction, with climate change compounding threats like pollution and water extraction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's leading scientific authority on global diversity. Climate stripes: A global symbol of climate change began in 2017 as a blanket crocheted by a professor of climate physics at the University of Reading. Now, the climate stripes show up on everything from public buses to the White Cliffs of Dover in England.
| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining opportunity of our time. Our world needs energy to keep moving forward — but it must be affordable, reliable, and sustainable. We all have a role to play. At Equinor, we’re using our competence, skills, and innovative spirit to continually search for solutions that will advance the energy transition. Our ambition is to break new ground, create lasting value, and supply energy to a thriving world while achieving net zero by 2050. From oil and gas to offshore wind and carbon capture, we’re delivering safe, secure, and reliable energy while creating jobs and investing in a more sustainable US energy system. But this is only the beginning. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | | | | A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. | 
iStock | Massachusetts will require utilities to pursue alternatives to natural gas in an "unprecedented" order that could prompt other states to follow suit. The Supreme Court declined to weigh in on a lower court ruling that struck down a Texas law restricting who can build new power lines. The developer of the Icebreaker Wind project — once slated to become the first Great Lakes wind farm — halted work and terminated a federal grant, citing rising costs amid years of delays. That’s it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
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