Czech environment minister praises COP28 deal

The agreement reached by around 200 nations at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels is a step towards modernisation through renewable energy, nuclear power, carbon storage, and hydrogen, Environment Minister Petr Hladík said on the social media site X on Wednesday, following the announcement of the deal. However, Richard Brabec, the Czech environment minister from 2014 to 2021, told the Czech News Agency that people should be wary of excessive optimism, particularly in light of the limited action on fulfilling the agreed goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Accords.

The deal struck at COP28 is regarded by some as historic, as it is the first time that fossil fuels have been explicitly mentioned in a COP treaty - previous agreements talked about reducing greenhouse gas emissions without explicitly mentioning fossil fuels. However, some were unhappy with the deal, which they view as having been watered-down.