Alternative Cop leads to breakthrough on fossil fuel roadmaps

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Nearly 60 countries that attended a climate summit in Colombia this week will produce roadmaps outlining how they intend to phase out fossil fuels. The conference can be understood as a climate change coalition of the willing. It was established out of frustration with the slow pace of deliberations at Cop, which is coordinated by the UN and where oil producers have blocked or watered down proposals to move away from fossil fuels. European nations made up about 30% of participants, the largest group from any continent, and France announced a plan to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas by 2050. The broader roadmaps are a breakthrough, but their impact will be limited without the US and China. The summit also largely swerved the subject that has dogged the UN process: how to fund the green transition.