COP28: OPEC votes against fossil fuel phase out
OPEC members are against including the phase-out of fossil fuels in the agreement expected to be announced at the end of COP28.
(Dubia, United Arab Emirates) OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al-Ghais has urged OPEC+ members to reject proposals for any text under negotiation at the COP28 climate summit that would result in the reduction of fossil fuels.
The language used to describe the future of fossil fuels in the final agreement is the most controversial issue at the U.N. summit hosted by the UAE this year.
The COP28 draft text, published by the U.N. climate body on Tuesday, and its update published on Friday, indicate a range of options, starting with agreeing to “phasing out fossil fuels in line with scientific estimates,” or phasing out “fuel Fossil relentlessly,” or not including any language about it at all.
As for the tendencies of OPEC members, they are pushing to prevent attempts to include a text on the “phasing out” of fossil fuels in the COP28 climate agreement, which highlights the conflict over whether the summit is capable of addressing the future of oil and gas.
“The world needs large investments in all energies, including hydrocarbons.” “Energy transitions must be fair, just and inclusive.”
At least 80 countries are demanding an agreement calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels, the main source of global warming emissions, to try to get on track to reach the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But they face a struggle to convince countries that depend on oil and gas economically to join the moratorium on fossil fuels.
Tina Steg, climate envoy for the Republic of the Marshall Islands, said “any retreat from including the phase-out of fossil fuels threatens the world.”
“This is why the Coalition is pushing to phase out fossil fuels, which are the root cause of this crisis,” she added in a statement. “1.5 is non-negotiable, and this means the end of fossil fuels.”
Talks enter critical stage
After a week of talks, the discussions entered the final stage. As countries struggle to reach an agreement on the final formula related to fossil fuels, German Secretary of State and Special Envoy for Climate Action, Jennifer Morgan, said that the provinces “are now moving to the decisive phase of the negotiations.”
As for OPEC’s position, the Director-General of COP28, Majid Al Suwaidi, avoided using the term “fossil fuel,” but said that the United Arab Emirates, as president of the summit, supports the agreement to put the world on the right track to reach 1.5 degrees.