The 28th UN Conference on climate change (COP28), being held in Dubai, will not conclude on time set by its president, Sultan Al Jaber, as negotiations on fossil fuels are extended to overcome resistance from oil-exporting countries.

Sultan Al-Jaber had announced on December 6 that he wanted “an orderly end to the conference on Tuesday, December 12 at 11:00 a.m. at the latest”, that is, at 09:00 Greek time. According to the schedule set by the UN, today is the last day of COP28, without specifying the time. A new draft deal is expected within the day from delegates.

The approximately 100 countries that favor exit of fossil fuels, including those of the European Union and several island nations, are negotiating in Dubai to reach a last-minute deal despite opposition from OPEC and Saudi Arabia, but there is no indication, according to AFP, that they will reach a compromise today.

The time limit set by Sultan Al-Jaber (09:00 Greek time) passed without an agreement, as many negotiators had predicted.

The latest draft agreement that Sultan Al Jaber put on the table yesterday, Monday, was deemed too weak by the European Union, the US, small island states and numerous South American countries to respond to the climate crisis.

This 21-page document left room for countries that have signed the Paris agreement to choose their own way to “reduce” fossil fuels, without any obligation.

It also did not set any common goal of “exiting” oil, gas and coal, as earlier versions of the document had nevertheless envisaged.

The text is “unacceptable” and “falls far short of the ambition necessary to keep our islands above sea level,” Joseph Sikulou, director of the Pacific Ocean non-governmental organization 350.org, complained today.

It is “an insult to those of us who came here to fight for our survival,” according to one activist.

The Europeans met today, as they do every morning, to coordinate. Diplomats and ministers suffering from sleepless nights are seeking to make the text more binding.

A new draft agreement is expected to emerge later today, according to representatives.

However, the hope of adopting a historic text calling for an exit from oil, gas and coal on the 8th anniversary of the Paris Agreement now seems very unlikely.