The influence of the fossil fuel industry at the United Nations’ annual climate conference, commonly referred to as COP28, was the focus of Monday’s talks. push back against criticism He argued that his role leading fossil fuel companies was inconsistent with the need to reduce fossil fuel use. Meanwhile, the Associated Press found that the number of people connected to fossil fuel interests in Dubai has increased significantly compared to the previous year.
Adding to the criticism was former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.He pointed to contradictions in COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber’s dual role of leading the conference and oil companies, which he said “get to the heart” of whether the world can stop further dangerous warming. Stated.
Leaders also take note Regarding funding issues Renewable energy and climate projects. Climate change will require an enormous expenditure of resources, and the burden will fall particularly heavily on developing countries.
Takeaways from Monday’s event in Dubai:
Al Jabar gets tingly
Al Jaber, who heads Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, was furious at media scrutiny over recent comments published in the Guardian newspaper, in which he said: For sustainable socio-economic development, if we don’t want the world to go back to caves. ”
This comment was made in November during a conversation with three women involved in climate change activism and gender. Off camera, he did not answer questions about the importance of oil companies increasing investment in oil and gas production or quickly phasing out fossil fuels.
“There is no science or scenario that says the phasing out of fossil fuels will reach 1.5 (Celsius). 1.5 is the North Star for me. In my opinion, the phasing out and phase out of fossil fuels is inevitable. , it’s essential, but we need to be real and serious and realistic about it,” he said in a video in November.
Asked about those comments at a press conference on Monday, al-Jaber said he believes in science and is “focused” on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. He went through a long list of accomplishments at the conference and criticized the media for not making them the focus of headlines.
“I am appalled by the constant and repeated attempts to undermine the work of the COP28 Presidency and the message we repeatedly convey in terms of how much we respect science. I’m very surprised,” he told reporters in the room.
He answered two questions.
There is no free press in the United Arab Emirates, and leaders are unaccustomed to probing and critical questioning from independent media.
al gore interview
One critic of Al Jaber’s leadership is former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who said in an interview with The Associated Press that the UAE leader’s position as head of an oil company meant that he had “no direct interest in it.” He said there was a conflict.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is not only trying to increase production, Gore said, but it is also “by many measures one of the largest oil companies in the world and one of the dirtiest oil companies.”
Gore said the oil and gas sector, including ADNOC, is not adequately disclosing emissions, according to a just-updated carbon pollution tracking database called Climate TRACE that he helped create.
“Abu Dhabi National Oil Company still claims that there are no emissions of methane or other substances from the transportation of oil and gas. In fact, it is. It can be seen from space,” Gore said. Ta.
Large presence of fossil fuels
Al Jaber’s leadership in the oil and gas sector is just part of the industry’s influence and presence at the Dubai conference. The Associated Press analyzed the registrants. At least 1,300 representatives of fossil fuel interests participated in this year’s climate change negotiations. That’s more than triple the number found in an Associated Press analysis of last year’s talks.
These delegates represent only a fraction of the overall enrollment, which is nearly double that of last year’s talks.
Activists have long questioned their ability to attend events that require meaningful negotiations aimed at the heart of business. But the energy players who sent delegates said the fact that they account for a large portion of the world’s emissions is precisely why they need to participate.
financing climate change
The leader focused on Huge economic costs of climate change The impact will be particularly severe for countries that are not responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Countries will have to pay to adapt to climate change and respond to disasters.Some progress was made on this issue shortly after consultations began. With the establishment of the fund To help countries affected by climate change.
The world’s major financial institutions, including the World Bank, are working to create loans that would allow countries to suspend debt payments when disaster strikes.
And ahead of that date, more than 200 advocacy groups, including Climate Action Network International and 350.org, have accused financial systems of suffocating low-income countries in debt while benefiting traditional institutions such as fossil fuel companies. I asked for a change. These issues require debt cancellation and investment in renewable energy, and solutions must be community-led.
World Bank President Ajay Banga said the bank wants to quickly increase climate finance.
“We can’t determine climate change based on emissions alone,” he says.
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Associated Press writers John Gambrell, Seth Borenstein, Sibi Alas and Jamie Keaten contributed from Dubai.
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