New Delhi: The United Nations published a first draft of the climate deal on Thursday and it doesn't mention a phase down of all fossil fuels, a proposal that was put forward by India and supported by the European Union and many other countries. The draft encourages "the continued efforts to accelerate measures towards the phase down of unabated coal power and phase out and rationalize inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, in line with national circumstances and recognizing the need for support towards just transitions".
Nearly the same language was used in the Glasgow Climate Pact last year. When contacted, a spokesperson of the Environment Ministry said the Indian negotiators do not wish to comment "as negotiations are going on". The cover text also doesn't mention when a loss and damage finance facility will be launched and what its contours will be. Poor and developing countries have demanded that the COP27 concludes with a decision to launch a fund to address loss and damage -- a term used for irreparable destruction caused by climate change-fuelled disasters.
The text "stresses the importance of exerting all efforts at all levels to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels".