The president of the COP28 climate summit taking place in Dubai had to speak publicly this Monday to clarify his position on fossil fuels after some of his words sparked controversy nine days before the start of this summit. Sultan al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry, reiterated in an online meeting on November 21 that there is “no science” to support the statement that “phasing out fossil fuels will allow us to achieve 1.5 °C to reach”. “, in reference to the target set in the Paris Agreement. In the same lecture, and in response to questions from Mary Robinson, the former UN special envoy on climate change, the COP28 president added: “Please help me, show me the roadmap for a phased-out of fossil fuels that will achieve sustainable socio-economic development will enable development unless they want to take the world back to the caves.”
In a press conference this Monday, Al Jaber emphasized that he has great respect for science. And regarding his position, he pointed out: “The progressive decline and phase-out of fossil fuels is inevitable and, in fact, essential.” The President of COP28 also said something similar in the same speech published on Sunday by the British newspaper The Guardian has been published.
There was tension in this conversation between Al Jaber and Robinson. And the first thing the COP28 president wanted to do this Monday was to show his “respect” to Robinson and science when asked by a journalist about the issue. He then attacked the “misinterpretation” of his words and the “attacks” to which the presidency of this summit was subjected by the United Arab Emirates.
A few days before the start of this international conference, through other journalistic information, some alleged documents from the COP28 presidency were leaked, which suggested that this country could use the summit to conclude trade agreements with other nations on the use of fossil fuels. Al Jaber took two days to respond and when he did, he denied them. “These allegations are false, not true, false and not accurate,” said the UAE minister, who promised he had never seen or used these documents in his meetings. He added: “Do you think the UAE or I need the COP or the COP Presidency to establish trade agreements or trade relations?”
Every year the climate summit takes place in one region of the world and this year it was Asia’s turn. The United Arab Emirates presented its candidacy and the rest of the region’s nations supported it. But the first controversy arose when it was announced earlier this year that Al Jaber was that country’s proposal to chair the international conference. Not only has he represented his country several times in these climate negotiations, but he is also CEO of his country’s national oil and gas company, ADNOC, one of the largest crude oil companies in the world.
The United Nations-protected rules of this type of negotiation require the conference president to adopt a neutral position in order to reach consensus. One of the main debates at COP28, if not the most important, is precisely focused on the implementation of an explicit demand for the elimination or gradual reduction of fossil fuels. Countries have already divided into two blocs, depending on whether they support this explicit demand (as defended by the European Union) or whether they do not consider it possible (as India has declared, for example).
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This is why Al Jaber’s statements in this lecture, which was broadcast live on the Internet, have caused so much controversy. Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, assured this Monday from Dubai that it is “impossible” to stay below 1.5 degrees “without a sharp decline in fossil fuels”.
The Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, this Monday in Dubai. ALI HAIDER (EFE)
Al Jaber, in the same press conference, also tried to justify the role that the UAE is developing at the forefront of COP28 by reaching a historic agreement at the start of the summit on the launch of the new Loss and Damage Fund. for the countries most affected by climate change. He also stressed that his presidency had not avoided the debate on abandoning fossil fuels and had included it in the first negotiating texts.
The IPCC, the international expert body affiliated with the United Nations, has made it clear in its recent review of the scientific evidence on climate change that fossil fuels are primarily responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and therefore climate change. And it was pointed out that in 2050, if the temperature is to be no more than 1.5 degrees, global consumption of coal, oil and gas must be reduced by 100%, 60% and 70% compared to 2019. If carbon capture and storage measures, currently marginal and costly, are implemented, these reductions would be somewhat mitigated.
“Let’s be clear about where I stand on the science…Frankly, I think there is some confusion and misrepresentations. Let me first introduce myself. I am a trained engineer. “It is science and my respect for science and my belief in science and my passion for science that have enabled me to advance my career.”
He said he supplemented this with “business and economics skills” to advance his career.
He added: “Reducing and phasing out fossil fuels…is essential. It must be orderly, fair, equitable and responsible.”
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