Countries in favor of reducing or eliminating fossil fuels reacted strongly this Saturday against the OPEC leader’s opposition to any agreement at COP28 that targets oil, gas and coal.
“I think it is very repugnant that the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries are opposed to setting the bar where it should be” in relation to the fight against climate change, the Spanish minister for climate change told reporters this Saturday. the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera. , whose country holds the biannual presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
The French Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, said she was “stunned” and “angry.”
The two ministers were reacting to the words of the Secretary General of OPEC, the Kuwaiti Haitham al-Ghais, who this week “urgently” asked the 23 member or associated countries to “proactively reject” any agreement that targets fossil fuels in the climate negotiations.
The intervention sparked a series of reactions in Dubai, where the future of fossil fuels is at the center of negotiations and the leading nation of OPEC and the Arab bloc, Saudi Arabia, is increasingly accused of obstructing negotiations on the oil. United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which takes place in Dubai and ends on Tuesday.
“Nothing jeopardizes the prosperity and future of the Earth’s inhabitants, including the citizens of OPEC countries, more than fossil fuels,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, located in the Pacific and threatened by rising sea levels.
Meanwhile, “no country wants to be singled out as the nation causing trouble,” added a member of the COP28 presidency team, who especially sees the Saudi maneuvers as a typical technique for negotiation purposes.
OPEC has its own pavilion at COP28. Seven protesters held a brief protest this Saturday morning, according to a video from the non-governmental organization 350.org.
“OPEC’s reaction shows that it is afraid of growing calls to abandon fossil fuels and the energy transition. There is now a real possibility that COP28 will send a signal about the beginning of the end of [combustíveis] fossils,” said Helena Spiritus of the Wildlife Fund (WWF).
A negotiator for a country in favor of 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 stretch, with ministers from participating countries returning to bring negotiations to a successful conclusion on Tuesday.
Emerging and developing countries demand compensation from rich countries to approve fossil fuels. The terms “equity” and “fair” are the most frequently heard words among these countries. Behind the scenes, ministers are negotiating to find a formula capable of combining a strong signal in favor of abandoning fossil fuels and the recognition that developing countries should not sacrifice their economic development.
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who plays a key role in the debates, expressed relative optimism, telling the AFP news agency he was “pretty sure” fossil fuels would be mentioned in the final text.
Veteran negotiators at U.N. climate summits said Saturday that the effort to wean the world off fossil fuels has gained so much momentum that it has struck a powerful enemy: the oil industry.
“I think that [os países produtores de petróleo e a indústria petrolífera] are panicking,” said Alden Meyer, an analyst at climate think tank E3G.
“Maybe the Saudis alone can’t do what they’ve been doing for 30 years, which is block the process,” Meyer added.
Former Irish president Mary Robinson said: “They are scared. I think they are worried.”
Germany’s climate envoy, Jennifer Morgan, suggested any calls to block a deal would be felt most by small countries vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by global warming.
Source: TSF
