DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati head of the U.N. climate conference called on countries Wednesday to seek common ground and reach a “historic” agreement by early next week, giving negotiators days to resolve disagreements to address the fate of fossil fuels.

It is rare for UN climate talks to end as planned, but COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber has set the ambitious goal of having one by 11:00 a.m. (07:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the last official day of the conference to reach agreement.

He called on the nearly 200 nations represented at COP28 to work together with a “spirit of compromise,” moving out of their “comfort zones and finding common ground to achieve ambitious goals and a balanced outcome.”

COP28 began last week with the groundbreaking launch of a Loss and Damage Fund for countries devastated by climate change.

But the first week of negotiations ended on Wednesday with delegations unable to submit an updated version of a draft treaty published the previous day.

The text contains statements about the phase-out of fossil fuels, which the European Union, the United States, island states and African countries support.

But there is also the possibility of leaving the topic out of the final text, a position supported by China, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations.

Scientists warn that greenhouse gas emissions – most of which come from burning fossil fuels – must fall by 43% from 2019 levels by 2030 for the world to meet the ambitious goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“I will continue to call on parties to put forward bridging proposals on fossil fuels, renewable energy and energy efficiency in line with science,” Jaber said at the end of a plenary session to close the first week.

Climate activists have viewed Jaber with deep suspicion because of his position as head of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company ADNOC, but he tried to allay concerns by declaring that a phase-out of fossil fuels was “inevitable.”

“STRONG ON POSTURING”

The COP28 conference will have an official rest day on Thursday before resuming on Friday with ministers taking over the final days of negotiations.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell complained that the draft text was a “collection bag full of… wish lists and full of posturing.”

“At the end of next week, COP must deliver a high-speed train to accelerate climate action. Currently an old caboose is chugging along rickety tracks,” he added.

The Alliance of Small Island States, which includes some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, called on “major emitters to step up their commitment.”

“If we fail, the consequences will be catastrophic,” said Alliance Chairman Cedric Schuster.

The latest text contains a new sentence calling for an “orderly and fair” exit.

A person familiar with the discussions said the word “neat” came from Jaber.

The wording could suggest a consensus candidate because it would give countries different timelines for emissions reductions depending on their level of development and dependence on fossil fuels.

During closed-door talks on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia again rejected any mention of fossils, saying it would “avoid the trauma of clearly explaining our position,” according to those at the meeting.

“The temperature will continue to rise”

Given the obvious divisions, Europe has called for a tougher line.

“I want this COP to mark the beginning of the end for fossil fuels,” European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said on Wednesday.

German climate representative Jennifer Morgan told AFP: “It is necessary for every party to deviate from its red lines.” [and] in solutions”.

“We have to roll up our sleeves and get it done.”

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said there were still “complicated issues” to solve but it was “time for adults to act like adults and do their jobs.”

A new report from the EU’s Copernicus climate change service provides a stark reminder of what’s at stake, reporting that 2023 will be the warmest year on record.

November was the sixth record month in a row.

This broke the previous heat record set in November and made the global average temperature in 2023 1.46°C warmer than in the pre-industrial era, the service said.

Copernicus boss Carlo Buontempo said: “As long as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, we cannot expect any different results.”