LEICESTER, United Kingdom – England’s top bishop on the environment, Bishop John Arnold of Salford, is calling for more concrete commitment to tackling our climate crisis after another COP conference closed on Dec. 13 in the two-week summit in the United Arab Emirates.

For the first time in 28 years of climate talks, delegates from nearly 200 nations said the world needed to transition away from fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Fifty oil and gas companies said they would sharply reduce emissions of methane by 2030.

However, many people pointed out the pledges made were voluntary, so not enforceable, and there was not way to force countries to comply.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the United Arab Emirates’s president-designate of the COP28 climate talks, claimed the delegation had found a new path to protect the environment by “following our North Star.”

“Together, we have confronted realities and we have set the world in the right direction,” he said.

“It is built on common ground. It is strengthened by inclusivity. And it is reinforced by collaboration,” the sultan added.

However, critics pointed out that Al Jaber is also head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and overseen a substantial expansion of gas and oil production.