the annual United Nations climate Summit known as COP28 has reached its final day but tensions are flaring as talks remain divided over a draft climate agreement for the conference the global plan of action identifies ways for each country to limit climate change fast enough to avert more irreversible damage to the planet but climate Advocates attending the event in the United Arab Emirates and oil rich country are blasting the latest draft for not including the phasing out of fossil fuel fuels which scientists say are the single biggest Factor contributing to the potentially life-threatening changes to the climate New Jersey representative Frank palone is just back from attending cop 28 with other members of Congress and he joins me now Congressman palone thanks so much for joining me before I get to uh what your input was during this Summit I want to just come to what's been happening in the last 24 hours you have um out Gore putting on X that this entire Summit is on the verge of collapse it appears that uh these nations cannot come to an agreement on the specific language in this plan how do you see this playing out well I'm much more optimistic about this conference uh first of all you know from the very beginning uh the American uh delegation secretary Carrie in I have shown a lot of leadership I mean they got pledges uh to uh triple Renewables to double Energy Efficiency uh to fund the methane pledge uh a lot has already happened that's positive and of course I want you know the final draft to be as strong as possible but I I I don't think there be should be that much emphasis on the final draft because ultimately what we want to do is to get a lot of these countries to agree uh you know to move towards renewable to reduce emissions uh certainly to phase out fossil fuels um but the bottom line is that America has shown tremendous leadership here and you know I've been to these conferences for the last at least three or four times now and you know it's clear that we're back and the countries are looking to us for leadership which I think is a good thing is it aggressive enough though I mean can you get behind I I understand where your point about the the draft plan but can you get behind if it includes language like could include phasing out fossil fuels rather than it must well it's important to phase out fossil fuels because I don't know how we can reach uh you know uh reducing emissions sufficiently over the next few years if we don't phase out fossil fuels but um I think it's important to have a consensus agreement um we'll see what the language actually is and I you know I'm not going to haggle at this point over what exactly it is because I do think that remember this is a a a consensus it's up it's it's really what matters is what the countries do uh to to reduce emissions and phase out fossil fuels on their own and uh it's all consensus right so it's you know it's recommendations so what we're seeing is that a lot of countries do want to phase out fossil fuels and are moving towards Renewables and Energy Efficiency and ultimately I think that's what's important what was your or what were the conversations you were having while you were in Dubai what was your focus Congressman uh going in and then now being back home well I think the most important thing for me was American leadership remember I was there a few years ago when Trump was trying to pull us out of the agreement Al together and that and we were there to try to say look we still believe very strongly in climate action even though even though our president is trying to withdraw from the agreement and then the following year you know we had we were able to come there which was last year and show leadership in the sense that we had passed the inflation reduction act we were taking actions to move towards Renewables uh to reduce methane you know we were taking leadership role and that was I think finally recognized this year uh you know methane is a perfect example right to reduce methanes we passed the law in the in the uh cler reduction act to reduce it at home right the president had just announced more action on I guess I I have to ask Congressman isn't that the responsibility of a Nation like the United States um of a wealthy Nation where we are producing most of these emissions that a lot of these other poorer countries quite frankly are suffering from right and that and I think that's important and even like when secretary K met an agreement with China on methane that was another example because if you look at it it's countries like China the United States the ones that are you know producing a lot of these and missions that need to show leadership and we have and so countries are looking to us now and that's the most important thing I think congressman Frank palone thank you so much for your time today thank you Brianna