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UN vote on phase-out of fossil fuels tests commitments to climate change

The U.N. Human Rights Council will vote on Tuesday whether to adopt a pledge that all fossil fuels must be phased out to combat climate change. Diplomats have warned Gulf states and other countries may not honor their previous commitments.

The council recognized the right to a healthy and clean environment in 2021.

It has revealed divisions between the 47 members, after the Marshall Islands - one of the countries most vulnerable to rising ocean levels with an average elevation of only 2 meters - made an amendment to motion to mention the exit of fossil fuels.

The vote is now a test to see if countries are willing to leave the oil age, after they agreed to do it at the COP28 Climate Summit in December 2023.

Often, decisions are reached without a vote by the council. They do not have legal force, but they help to shape global standards. It's not yet clear if there will be a majority for the language on Tuesday.

Doreen Debrum, the Marshall Islands ambassador to the U.N. at Geneva, said before the vote: "It's incomprehensible how a resolution that purports to protect human rights against the effects of climate changes would not mention the necessity to move away from fossil fuels ...,".

Australia, Britain, Germany and several small island nations including Samoa and Vanuatu support the move.

Three diplomats claim that oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (a voting member), voiced their opposition to this phrasing during negotiations. Riyadh instead called for "multiple paths" to reduce emission.

Kuwait's foreign ministry or Saudi Arabia's international press offices did not respond to requests for comment. The diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in Geneva failed to respond immediately.

Sebastien duyck, the human rights and climate campaign director at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), called the vote "a litmus test for government".

Campaigners have accused leaders in climate action such as the European Union of scaling back their policies while dealing with the effects of an early summer heatwave.

Since disengaging from the Council this year, the U.S. will not take part in the formal vote. (Reporting and editing by Alison Williams; Emma Farge)

(source: Reuters)