Opinion
When delegates gathered in Dubai just a fortnight ago for the opening of COP28, the chances of progress seemed slim, but these oil state climate talks delivered a transition away from fossil fuels that no previous COP managed to achieve.
Saudi Arabia remains a thorn in the side of COP28. Only one solution remains – that the Gulf petrostate host its own COP, and face up to global scrutiny as the United Arab Emirates has done.
It is less than a week since COP28, the largest ever U.N climate summit, began in the oil kingdom city of Dubai, but drama is already at a peak after Sultan Al Jaber questioned the science behind phasing out fossil fuels.
At COP28 in Dubai, 50 oil and gas companies pledged to stop contributing to greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Documents leaked to the BBC showed that the UAE’s COP28 team had plans to discuss oil and gas deals with 15 countries.
A landmark EU deal this week to impose methane emissions limits on oil and gas imports into Europe should spur global action at COP28.
The residents of the Spanish town of Ferrol have lived for years in the shadow of an LNG terminal, but a growing body of research suggests such infrastructure poses a health risk to communities like theirs – which should serve as a wake-up call as we brace ourselves for major build-out of LNG in Europe.
Repsol said the flow of cash will help its strategic goal of investing 35% of its capital expenditure, or 5.5 billion euros, in low carbon projects in the 2021-2025 period.
Most of the capex rises that have been announced this year will go to hydrocarbon rather than renewables investments.
Even burning just the oil, gas, and coal in existing fields and mines would far exceed the carbon budget for a 50% chance of staying below 1.5°C warming, a new report has found.
Constrained by a court decision, the Biden administration said it would auction off land for new oil and gas drilling. But climate activists see the move as backtracking on climate progress
Japan is considering its nuclear future to help reach its 2050 net zero goals, but opponents still point to safety concerns. Renewable projects, despite a lack of available land mass, remain a viable long-term alternative.
The Ukraine war and its impact on global energy prices is creating headwinds for Thailand and its climate goals.