Momentum to move away from fossil fuels builds at COP30

But nations reliant on oil and gas exports made talks on green energy transition tense

- Ang Qing Correspondent

As COP30 enters its politically charged second week, momentum against fossil fuel use has grown after campaigns urging stronger action against the biggest driver of climate change.

More countries pledged at the event to wean themselves off fossil fuels, although pressure from countries dependent on oil and gas exports made discussions on the green energy transition fraught.

For instance, Cambodia, South Korea and Bahrain on Nov 17 committed to working to accelerate the phaseout of the use of oil, gas or coal in favour of clean energy.

Cambodia was the 18th member to support the Fossil Fuel Treaty, which is a network spearheaded by a bloc of Pacific nations to phase out the three key fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, South Korea and Bahrain were initiated into the Powering Past Coal Alliance that Singapore is also part of.

By joining the alliance, the Korean government announced its plan to stop building new unabated coal power plants and phase out 40 coal power plants by 2040.

But many petrostates, like those in the Middle East which derive large proportions of their revenue from oil and gas, have argued that planet-warming emissions could also come from other sources, such as from the agriculture sector and deforestation.

Such countries are known to have preferred to focus discussions on reducing emissions via “multiple pathways”, such as by promoting the use of carbon capture technology, instead of singling out fossil fuel use.