2023-12-10 15:18:57
After the largest OPEC producer Saudi Arabia and Russia spoke out against the end of fossil fuels at the UN climate summit, Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) insisted again on Sunday in Dubai that these energy sources be mentioned for the first time in the final text . This is “necessary and important,” she said, speaking out against the focus on reducing emissions.
The OPEC states argued that COP28 should instead focus on such emissions reductions. The minister, who was commissioned by the EU Council Presidency to lead the negotiations in the area of adaptation for the EU, saw Saudi Arabia as a “barrier” of resistance when it came to naming fossils. Two days before the planned end of the UN climate conference, the two Austrian youth delegates Jasmin Lang and David Jablonski detected nervousness among the fossil fuel lobby, which was shown, among other things, by the OPEC letter against the end of oil and gas that was published yesterday. “However, a complete phase-out is still the goal,” Jablonski said at the COP in Dubai.
On Sunday, observers saw little momentum in the negotiations; climate activist Mohamed Adow from Powershift Africa said a “diagonal axis of friends of fossil fuels” is currently blocking rapid progress: Saudi Arabia, Russia and China, but also the USA. US President Joe Biden claims to be a pioneer in climate protection. But the US remains “in the shadows” when it comes to a date for phasing out fossil fuels.
The argument that only the emissions are bad, but not the sources, does not bring any clarity, because “it is the fossil fuels that are heating up the planet,” said Gewessler. According to her, the current text contains four options on fossil energies that can represent both “opportunities” and “a lot of danger” – the latter would mean that they cannot be mentioned at all.
Gewessler, however, assessed the decision of Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) to join the international coalition launched by the Netherlands to reduce subsidies for fossil fuels as positive. At the start it included twelve nations. The first step here is to get a complete overview of the extent of these subsidies so that action can then be taken.
What is striking two days before the official end of the UN climate conference is the strong involvement of the COP presidency in the negotiations. She is due to receive a new text package on Monday, which will then contain all points such as the global stocktake or climate finance. This is a moment of truth for the United Arab Emirates, the WWF said. COP President Sultan Al Jaber has repeatedly emphasized that he wants to achieve an ambitious result at this climate conference: “Now he bears responsibility for ensuring that his country is part of the solution and presents an ambitious text,” said WWF climate spokesman Thomas Zehetner .
The host called on states to make the meeting a success. “The world is hungry, the world is desperate for good news,” said UAE conference president Al Jaber. There is an opportunity to restore trust in international cooperation.
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