A landmark agreement clinched by nearly 200 government ministers is calling for the world to begin slowing down the use of fossil fuels, but they left the door open for “transitional fuels,” such as natural gas, to continue to play a big role in the decades ahead.

The 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded nearly two weeks of talks on Wednesday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“With an unprecedented reference to transitioning away from all fossil fuels, the UAE consensus is delivering a paradigm shift that has the potential to redefine our economies,” UAE’s Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, who was president-designate of COP28, said. He is UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology and also...