Thursday Briefing – The New York Times

Thursday Briefing – The New York Times

After two weeks of furious debate, diplomats from nearly 200 countries at the UN climate summit in Dubai reached a broad agreement that explicitly called for “the transition away from fossil fuels.”

The agreement requires countries to stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere completely by mid-century, triple the amount of renewable energy installed worldwide by 2030 and reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas.

For information, we turned to our colleague Lisa Friedman, who was in Dubai to cover the COP28 summit.

What was different at this climate summit?

Lisa: Holding a conference in a petrostate was never going to be easy. But as someone who has already covered 12 of these COPs, I think it was very eye-opening. All around us every day we were faced with the spoils of oil.

At the same time, there is a stark contrast between the leaders of the small islands and others who are essentially telling the UAE and the Saudis that their luxury comes at the expense of the very existence of the island nations. For me, the location of the summit really highlights all the needs of the different countries that the UN must balance.

How was the agreement reached?

European leaders and many of the nations most vulnerable to climate-driven extreme weather events were urging text calling for a complete “phase out” of fossil fuels. But that faced rejection from major oil producers, led by Saudi Arabia. In the end, they found a middle ground.

How do countries feel about the agreement?

It left some, particularly island leaders, deeply dissatisfied. In fact, many island leaders said they did not even have a chance to offer changes or convey concerns before Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati oil executive presiding over the conference, approved the decision and declared it adopted by consensus.

At the same time, it is notable that it took 28 of these annual climate change conferences before governments were willing to name the elephant in the room (fossil fuels), the burning of which is the main driver of planetary warming.

What is your main takeaway from the final agreement?

The decision was a compromise and should be considered as such. But it is important. Many leaders have said it sends a signal that the fossil fuel era is coming to an end, something I couldn’t imagine this body doing even five years ago.

A disagreement with the United States over what a postwar Gaza Strip should look like poses risks for the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including how much support it can expect to receive, analysts said. But it also offers Netanyahu the opportunity to repair his domestic approval ratings by presenting himself as a leader unwavering in the face of foreign demands.

Israeli officials indicated they would not be deterred by growing condemnation from the international community, a day after President Biden highlighted the risk of a loss of support. Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, is expected to arrive in Jerusalem this week to discuss the war and its possible consequences with Netanyahu.

Analysis: “He is considering a possible election campaign within a few months,” Itamar Rabinovich, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States, said of Netanyahu. “This will be his platform: ‘I am the leader who can take on Biden and prevent a Palestinian state.’”

Related: The families of eight Americans still held by Hamas in Gaza had their first in-person meeting with Biden yesterday.


With its counteroffensive failing and its supplies and support dwindling, Ukraine finds itself at a crucial juncture, while Moscow, once faced with the consequences of a disastrous invasion, celebrates its ability to sustain a protracted war.

Ukraine must now adopt a defensive posture as it prepares for a harsh winter of Russian attacks and energy shortages. The United States, its most important backer, is concerned about the war in Gaza, and the possible return to power of Donald Trump, a long-time critic of Ukraine, looms.

George Harrison, writes his biographer Philip Norman, was a “paradox”: a man who was “unprecedentedly, ridiculously, suffocatingly famous and at the same time undervalued, overlooked and struggling for recognition.”

Norman’s new book, “George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle,” explores these contradictions. He spoke to The Times about his process and the subject of it.

“I refuse to be old”: 81-year-old runner Maros Mosehla has become a local legend in South Africa.

The sexiest footballer in the world: From military service to Vogue cover star.

Andrea Estela: He unlikely catalyst for McLaren’s change in Formula 1.

Brian Chen, who writes the Tech Fix column for The Times, has spent the past two weeks secretly taking photos and recording videos of passersby. “I wasn’t hiding the camera,” he writes, “but I was wearing it and no one noticed.”

Brian was trying out the recently released $300 Ray-Ban Meta glasses, born from a collaboration between the eyewear maker and the company formerly known as Facebook. As part of a broader ambition to move computing away from screens and closer to our faces, the high-tech glasses include a camera for taking photos and videos, and an array of speakers and microphones.

But after weeks of wearing them “practically non-stop,” Brian was relieved to take them off. Read more about why.