India resists fossil fuel phasing out plans

The Indian delegation at the summit has resisted plans to phase out fossil fuel use in the draft text.

Their negotiator says: “Every country will arrive at their own emissions targets at their own pace.”

He adds that developing countries have a right to their share of the global carbon budget.

“How can anyone expect developing countries to make promises about coal and fossil fuel?” the negotiator asks.

Like China, India relies on coal for much of its power. Neither country signed up to a pledge at this summit to phase out domestic coal power.

But the latest draft agreement that all countries need to agree to calls for the phasing out of “unabated coal” and of “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”.

That language was weakened from previous drafts but it’s seen as unprecedented language in a COP agreement.

Unabated coal, by the way, is coal produced without the use of carbon capture technology.