MidLand, Jakarta – OPEC rallies its members and allied oil producers to veto a proposed deal to phase out fossil fuels at a climate summit COP28which highlights deep divisions over the future of oil and gas.
At least 80 countries are calling for a COP28 agreement to end the use of fossil fuels, as scientists urge ambitious action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
The latest draft of the COP28 final agreement, published on Friday 8 December 2023, includes an option to do just that.
“It appears that undue and disproportionate pressure on fossil fuels could reach a tipping point with irreversible consequences,” OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais wrote in a letter to the group’s members, including the COP28 host United Arab Emirates.
In his letter, dated December 6, he asked them to reject any anti-fossil fuel statements in the final summit agreement.
OPEC responded to Reuters’ questions about the letter by saying it would continue to support emissions reductions, not the selection of energy sources.
“The world needs major investments in all energy sectors, including hydrocarbons, in all technologies, and an understanding of everyone’s energy needs,” the OPEC secretary general said in a statement.
Previously, COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber urged delegates from nearly 200 countries to work hard to reach a consensus ahead of the two-week summit scheduled to end on December 12.
“Let’s get the job done,” he said Friday before the draft was released. “I want you to move forward and I want you to get out of your comfort zone.”
Although fossil fuels are the main source of emissions causing global warming, three decades of UN climate summits have never discussed the future of fossil fuels, and the decision to phase them out is unprecedented.
CHOICES
The COP28 draft agreement includes a range of options: from agreeing to a “phasing out of fossil fuels in accordance with the best available science”, to an “unstoppable end to fossil fuels”, to no declaration at all.
French climate change ambassador Stephane Crouzat said countries like Saudi Arabia believe they can continue producing fossil fuels while cleaning up emissions with new carbon capture technology.
Announcement
“We believe this is unrealistic,” Crouzat told Reuters.
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he is confident the final text will include an agreement on fossil fuels. “Although not as ambitious as some would like, it will still be a historic moment.”
Other countries say they insist that phasing out fossil fuels must be led by rich countries that have exploited their resources for decades.
“All countries cannot apply the same standards when it comes to transition,” Malaysian climate minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad told Reuters.
With countries still divided, representatives of the developing bloc G77+China said the terms “phasing out/phasing out” needed to be rewritten.
“This issue needs to be reaffirmed,” said Paulo Pedroso, a Cuban diplomat who represents the group of 134 developing countries.
“The problem is more complex,” Pedroso said, adding that countries with limited resources should have more time to transition to green energy, while rich countries should move faster.
A compromise should also include more financial support and technology for poor and developing countries to develop the necessary infrastructure, he said.
“If you’re just referring to phasing out, phasing out, it seems a little out of context to me,” Pedroso said. “Because people don’t understand what you mean.”
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