Head of the UN’s COP28 climate conference claims fossil fuels still have a role to play
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the UN‘s COP28 climate conference in November 2023. One of its senior politicians, sultan Al Jaber, is set to head up the event. However, he said on 3 May that fossil fuels would continue to answer the demand for energy for the “foreseeable future”.
COP28 headed up by oil exec
At the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, a meeting of climate diplomats in Berlin, Al Jaber said:
We know that fossil fuels will continue to play a role in the foreseeable future in helping meet global energy requirements
Our aim should be focused on ensuring that we phase out emissions from all sectors whether it’s oil and gas or high-emitting industries.
As well as heading COP28, Al Jaber is head of the UAE’s national oil company Adnoc.
He said the world could achieve such a target by:
building on and capitalising on existing and new and emerging technologies.
Read on...
This was an allusion to costly and only recently emerging carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
The UAE is one of the world’s biggest oil producers. It argues that crude remains indispensable to the global economy, and is needed to finance the energy transition. As a result, it is pushing the merits of CCS, which is intended to remove carbon dioxide from the air or as fuel is burned.
Holding back progress
The choice of Al Jaber, an oil company executive, to head the climate conference in Dubai has angered activists. They fear it will hold back progress on reducing emissions.
As Climate Change News reported:
A broad coalition of nations have been pushing for an agreement to “phase out fossil fuels” at Cop28, so the addition of the word “emissions” is likely to be seen as a loophole for continuing to use such fuels if their emissions are kept out of the atmosphere with CCS.
It also pointed out that Al Jaber had previously called for increased investment in oil and gas.
The Canary has also previously covered the conflicts of interest embedded in COP events. In 2026, Tracy Keeling wrote that COP26 had “opened its doors to at least 503” fossil fuel lobbyists. Then, in November 2022, Keeling wrote of COP27 that:
industries that profit from weaker climate action were out in force at the conference. As Truthout reported, fossil fuel companies were even invited to take part in the official event program.
So, as with previous climate COPs, one giant misstep at COP27 is obvious to all, seemingly apart from government officials: vested interests were allowed too much influence at the event.
No wonder it’s done little to get our planet out of the emergency room.
Featured image via Arctic Circle/Wikimedia Commons
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
