The oil industry is 'panicked' and 'scared' as United Nations climate talks threaten to cut off water sources for good, experts say, amid anger over an attempt to declare a phase-out of fossil fuels block fuels.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sparked outrage among green-minded countries when it joined Saudi Arabia against a declaration aimed at phasing out oil, coal and gas extraction.
In leaked letters, the group has reportedly urged its members to reject any text on Cop28 that focuses on cutting fossil fuels at source rather than emissions.
The letters have upended talks in Dubai, with host and oil state the United Arab Emirates now trying to curb their impact in a process that could see one or two key countries block any move.
“I think they're panicking,” said Alden Meyer, an analyst at the climate think tank E3G. “Maybe the Saudis cannot do on their own what they have been doing for 30 years and block the process.”
OPEC has reportedly urged its members to reject any text at Cop28 that focuses on cutting fossil fuels at source rather than emissions. Pictured: archive photo of an oil field
The UAE House of Sustainability – part of the venue for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) 2023 in Dubai, UAE
Mary Robinson, the former Irish president who has spoken out about the need to quickly phase out fossil fuels, said: “They are scared. I think they're worried.'
Spanish Ecology Transition Minister Teresa Ribera, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said it was “quite disgusting” for OPEC countries to “insist on putting the bar where it should be.”
French Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher responded by saying OPEC's statement left her “stunned” and “angry.”
She added that “OPEC's position endangers the most vulnerable countries and the poorest populations, who are the first victims of this situation.”
But China, the world's biggest oil importer, played down the row and said it was working to find a solution that was “acceptable to all parties.”
“I think we have already made some progress in this area and I think we will make more progress in solving this problem in the coming days,” Chinese climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua told reporters at the COP28 climate conference.
“Because if we don't do that, if we don't solve this problem, I don't see much chance of a successful COP28,” he said.
Canadian Climate Minister Steven Guilbeault told AFP he was “confident” the final text would include language on fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases that warm the planet.
Guilbeault is among a group of ministers tasked by COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber – who is CEO of the UAE's state oil giant ANDOC – to lead the negotiations and find an agreement before Tuesday, when the summit is due to end.
Experts have said that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius only involves reducing the production and consumption of fossil fuels. In the photo: activists at Cop28
“Different groups are talking and trying to understand what we can agree on, but it's still a pretty embryonic conversation,” he added.
Experts have said the only way to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is to dramatically increase the use of renewable energy while reducing the production and consumption of fossil fuels.
“1.5 is non-negotiable, and that means an end to fossil fuels,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy to the Marshall Islands, who chairs the High Ambition Coalition, a broad group of countries ranging from Barbados to France, Kenya and island nations in the Pacific ocean. .
A person working for the summit president's office downplayed Saudi Arabia's objections, saying it was natural that countries would eventually push hard.
“I don't feel like we're at the point where someone is sticking their head above the ground and being the troublemaker,” the person said on condition of anonymity.
However, German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said countries were “now entering the critical phase of negotiations” but she was “concerned that not everyone is engaging constructively.”
Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said the group was “extremely concerned” given the limited time they had left in Dubai.
AOSIS has pushed hard for a phase-out of fossil fuels and has warned that rising sea levels threaten the survival of island nations.
“I implore you: let this COP28 be the summit where we as leaders are remembered for turning the tide,” Schuster said.
He added that stepping up the use of renewable energy “cannot be a substitute for a stronger commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.”
Next year's climate talks are likely to take place in another major fossil fuel producer, as Azerbaijan announced it has reached a consensus to host COP29.