Spain and France condemned OPEC’s position on fossil fuels after the cartel asked its member countries to “actively reject” any deal targeting the fossil fuel at the COP28 climate talks. At the same time, Canada expressed the belief that fossil fuels will be mentioned in the final text.
The Spanish Minister of Ecological Transition today denounced OPEC’s “abhorrent” position on fossil fuels.
“I think it’s pretty despicable of the OPEC countries to be opposed to putting the weight where it needs to be” on climate, Teresa Ribera, whose country holds the current six-month presidency of the OPEC Council, said in Dubai. European Union.
Kuwaiti Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Haitham al-Gais this week called in a letter “urgently” for its member states to “actively reject” any deal targeting fossil fuels at the COP28 climate negotiations which are held in Dubai.
The letter is dated last Wednesday and is addressed to the 13 OPEC member states, including Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, which chairs this year’s COP28, and Saudi Arabia.
Al-Gais declined to comment on the letter, but said OPEC wants the talks to focus on reducing emissions, not choosing energy sources.
“The world needs big investments in all energies, including hydrocarbons,” argued the OPEC secretary general. “The energy transition must be fair and inclusive.”
However, as Spanish Minister Teresa Ribera told reporters, “the European Union will align itself with many others, the great majority of the parties to this conference, to ensure that we achieve a significant and productive outcome for the exit from fossil fuels, the energy transition, while ensuring everyone’s access to energy”.
For her part, the French Minister of Energy Transition, Agnies Panier-Rinasse, today underlined that she is “surprised” and “angry” with the OPEC letter.
“I am surprised by these statements by OPEC. And I’m angry,” said the minister from Dubai, recalling that “fossil fuels are responsible for more than 75% of carbon dioxide emissions” and that “we have to get out of them (fossil fuels) if we want to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees”.
“OPEC’s position puts at risk the most vulnerable countries and the poorest populations who are the first victims of this situation,” he added.
“I leave it to the presidency of the COP not to allow itself to be impressed by these statements and to bring an agreement that declares a clear goal of exiting fossil fuels,” emphasized Panier-Rinasse.
Canadian Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau, who is playing a key role in the COP28 talks, said today in an interview with AFP that he is “quite confident” that fossil fuels will be mentioned in the final communiqué.
Guilbaud is one of the ministers appointed by the Emirates to unblock the negotiations. He is thus a duo with Egyptian minister Yasmine Fouad discussing the “means of implementation” – a formulation which actually covers the issue of exiting fossil fuels.
“It is a discussion that will last a few more days. Various groups are talking, debating, trying to figure out what we could agree on, but as a discussion it’s still in its infancy,” said Stephen Guilbeau, referring to the fossil fuel issue.
The Canadian minister clarified that he did not have the opportunity to be informed about the OPEC text. But “it really doesn’t matter what the text says, we’re heading towards a reduction in dependence on fossil fuels,” he stressed.
“As countries around the globe electrify their transportation, their networks, their industries, dependence on fossil fuels will decrease,” Guilbeau emphasized.
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