Cop 28: Australia, US and UK say they won’t sign agreement that would be ‘death certificate’ for small islands

Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, says umbrella group of countries is united that draft agreement is too weak

A group of countries including Australia, the US, UK, Canada and Japan have said they will “not be a co-signatory” to “death certificates” for small island states, and have demanded a stronger agreement at the Cop28 summit to deal with fossil fuels and address the climate crisis.

A statement delivered by the Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, on behalf of what’s known as the umbrella group of countries, came as tensions flared at the United Arab Emirates over the text of a draft deal proposed by the summit presidency.