For the first time at a UN climate conference, the international community is calling for a "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems" in the final declaration.
The text of the COP28 declaration was published by the conference presidency from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday morning and adopted in plenary just a few hours later. The 21-page paper calls on countries to move away from fossil fuels in their energy systems.
In a round of applause, COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber spoke of the "historic package."
"Future generations may not know your names but they will owe every single one of you a debt of gratitude," said al-Jaber.
The agreed plan is to keep the 1.5-degree-Celsius target within reach. This refers to the target agreed internationally in Paris in 2015 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. Many climate experts and environmentalists had previously cast doubt on this.
More than 100 states had previously called for a more far-reaching formulation, namely a phase-out. However, the text also left back doors open - such as the continued use of gas and the use of controversial technologies for storing and capturing CO2.
Al-Jaber warned that "an agreement is only as good as its implementation."
It also includes the goal of tripling the capacity of renewable energies by 2030 and doubling the pace of energy efficiency during this period. The G20 countries had already committed to this.
