Countries in favor of reducing or eliminating fossil fuels responded strongly this Saturday to the OPEC leader’s opposition to any deal at COP28 that focuses on oil, gas and coal.
“I think it is very disgusting when the OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries resist putting the bar where it should be.” regarding the fight against climate change, Spain’s Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, whose country holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), told journalists.
French Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said she was “stunned” and “angry”.
The two ministers were responding to the words of OPEC Secretary General, Kuwait’s Haitham al-Ghais, who this week “urgently” asked the 23 member states or associated countries to “proactively” consider any agreement that focuses on fossil fuels in the negotiating environment to reject”.
The intervention provoked a series of reactions in Dubai, where the future of fossil fuels is at the center of negotiations and the leading OPEC and Arab bloc nation, Saudi Arabia, is increasingly accused of obstructing oil negotiations. Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which takes place in Dubai and ends on Tuesday.
“Nothing puts the prosperity and future of Earth’s inhabitants, including the citizens of OPEC countries, at greater risk than fossil fuels.” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, which are in the Pacific Ocean and are threatened by rising seas.
Meanwhile, “no country wants to be the nation that is singled out as the troublemaker,” added a member of the COP28 presidency team, who sees Saudi maneuvers in particular as a typical technique for negotiating purposes.
OPEC has its own pavilion at COP28. Seven demonstrators held a short protest this morning, according to a video from the non-governmental organization 350.org.
“OPEC’s response shows that it is afraid of the increasing calls for a transition away from fossil fuels and the energy transition. There is now a real possibility that COP28 will signal the beginning of the end of climate change. [combustíveis] fossils”, said Helena Spiritus of the Nature Conservation Fund (WWF).
A negotiator from a country that supports phasing out fossil fuels said the Arab group at the UN is the only one with total opposition.
Positions are hardening as COP28 enters its final phase, with ministers from participating countries returning to bring negotiations to a successful conclusion on Tuesday.
Emerging and developing countries are demanding compensation from rich countries to move away from fossil fuels. The terms ‘fairness’ and ‘fair’ are the most commonly heard words in these countries. Behind the scenes, ministers are negotiating to find a formula that combines a strong signal in favor of banning fossil fuels with the recognition that developing countries should not sacrifice their economic development..
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who is playing a key role in the discussions, expressed relative optimism, telling news agency AFP he was “confident” fossil fuels would be included in the final text.
Veteran negotiators at UN climate summits said today that the effort to wean the world off fossil fuels has gained so much momentum that it has hit a powerful enemy: the oil industry.
“I think [os países produtores de petróleo e a indústria petrolífera] they are panicking,” said Alden Meyer, an analyst at climate think tank E3G.
“Maybe the Saudis cannot do on their own what they have been doing for 30 years, which is blocking the process,” Meyer added.
Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson said: “They are scared. I think they are worried.”
Germany’s climate envoy, Jennifer Morgan, suggested that any calls to block a deal would be felt most by small countries vulnerable to rising sea levels due to global warming.
Source: DN
