A more realistic tone is needed for climate talks, one that refrains from alarmist prophecies and recognizes the need for balance

Just before the 28th COP (Conference of the Parties) concluded, the supreme climate change evangelist, Al Gore, warned that the event was shaping up to be a “dismal failure” with a communiqué “that reads as if OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) dictated it word for word.” Gore warned that the Paris agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade would die if world leaders failed, yet again, to agree on phasing out fossil fuels. This was, of course, an exaggerated prophecy by Gore intended to stimulate a better compromise in Dubai, and it did.

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The compromise was a final communiqué that did not call for a complete phase-out of fossil fuels, as many had hoped. Instead it called for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade.” The agreement’s many loopholes and lack of explicit deadlines provide substantial wiggle room for individual nations like China, and for natural gas developments to continue. As always, the proof will come from implementation, not communiqué words. As Al Gore acknowledged, “Whether this is a turning point that truly marks the end of the fossil fuel era depends on the actions that come next.”

Loose language on “transition” can mean different things to different countries — an elastic definition that fails a credibility test. What remains fuzzy is who will pay for the transition and for what? More reason, of course, to meet again.

The conference president, Sultan al-Jaber, who is also CEO of the UAE state oil company ADNOC, had signalled at the outset that a phasing out of fossil fuels had no “scientific” basis. His sentiment was shared by many representatives of developing countries who know........

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