The 2020 Climate Summit in Dubai has gone into repeat overtime as stakeholders from around the world remain in a bitter disagreement over the use of fossil fuels.
Scheduled to end on the 24th of October, the summit has extended by another week due to continued conflict weighing on the discussions. The insistence of some countries such as China and India to continue using fossil fuels to drive their economies has caused prolonged debates.
However, the increase of global temperatures as a result of human activities has caused countries all over the world to ratify their commitment to the movement of investing in renewable resources. This in part has caused the conflict as many countries cannot agree on the timeline and the rate of transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources.
In addition, the rate of their commitment to the Paris Agreement is still a major issue in the talks. The Paris Agreement—signed in 2016—serves as an international document that sets out steps and objectives of 188 countries in reducing their carbon emission and moving to a greener economy.
Although many countries have pinned their hopes of solving this issue on the summit in Dubai, the results have been nothing short of a disappointment due to the fact that no agreement has been reached yet.
Therefore, unless the conflict over fossil fuel use and the timeline for transitioning to renewable energy sources is resolved, we can expect further delays in the agreement that for many, stands at the center of reaching a successful conclusion to the Climate Summit in Dubai. In the meantime, efforts to reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change must be continued by all countries.