2023-12-12 10:37:37
Arab officials on Tuesday forcefully criticized the proposal for a gradual exit from fossil fuels discussed at COP28, during a conference on regional cooperation in the oil field in Doha.
On the theoretical last day of the 28th UN climate conference in Dubai, a standoff is underway between countries in favor of phasing out fossil fuels, including those of the European Union (EU), and the bloc led by Saudi Arabia, which opposes it.
The latest text submitted by the UAE presidency of the COP would leave complete freedom to the signatory countries of the Paris agreement to choose their way of “reducing” fossil fuels, without obligation. It no longer sets any common “exit” targets for oil, gas and coal, which the EU-led bloc is pushing for.
Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad al-Barrak called the pressure an “aggressive attack”, accusing Western countries of trying to dominate the global economy through renewable energy. According to him, it is “a fight for our freedom and our values”.
For his part, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani declared that “fossil fuels will remain the main source of energy in the world.” “We cannot phase out the use of this energy,” he said.
“As Arab countries, we produce this energy, but we are not the origin of the emissions,” he argued, placing this responsibility on consuming countries, which “must develop technologies to reduce their emissions “.
Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Daina, Bahrain’s Minister of Oil and Environment, said black gold was “an essential factor in our economies”.
“We should focus on this industry and preserve it, and consume its derivatives in a balanced way,” he said, while calling for reduced emissions and increased use of renewable energy.
Representatives from Algeria, Libya and Oman, as well as Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, also participated in the two-day conference of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPAEP) which is held in Qatar, a rich gas country.
OPAEP brings together the main Arab oil countries and is headquartered in Kuwait.
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