The French Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, declared herself “stunned” on Saturday and expressed her “anger” after statements by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) asking its member countries to reject an agreement focused on fossil fuels. at COP28.
“I am stunned by these statements from OPEC. And I am angry,” declared the minister from Dubai, recalling that “fossil fuels are responsible for more than 75% of CO2 emissions” and “that we must get out of this if we want to limit global warming at 1.5°C.”
“I am counting on the COP presidency not to be impressed by these statements and to reach an agreement that affirms a clear objective of phasing out fossil fuels,” said Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
A letter sent to OPEC members
In a letter dated Wednesday, consulted on Friday by AFP and authenticated by a recipient member country, OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghais “presses” its members and their delegations at COP28 to “proactively reject any text or wording that points to energy, that is, fossils”. fuels, rather than greenhouse gas emissions.
The letter is addressed to OPEC’s 13 members, including Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, which chairs this year’s United Nations climate conference, and Saudi Arabia, at the forefront of opposition to fossil fuels. .
Mail is also sent to ten partner countries, including Mexico, Azerbaijan, Russia and Malaysia, all present in Dubai.
Source: BFM TV
