Heated debate on fossil fuel use

Photo caption — Exhaust fumes rise from a power plant in Shanghai, China. Photo: AFP/VNA

During the negotiations, some countries opposed including a commitment to phase out fossil fuels in the COP28 climate agreement. Observers at the conference said Saudi Arabia and Russia argued that the focus of COP28 was only on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, without addressing the causes of fossil fuels.

Many other countries, including India and China, have not explicitly committed to phasing out fossil fuels, but have supported calls to boost renewable energy production. Meanwhile, at least 80 countries have called for a COP28 agreement to phase out fossil fuels.

The debate also heated up after it was reported earlier this week that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had sent a letter urging its members and their oil-producing allies to oppose any mention of fossil fuels in the final agreement reached at the end of COP28. The letter warned that “excessive and disproportionate pressure on fossil fuels could reach a tipping point” in the negotiations.

In a statement, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais declined to comment on the letter, but said OPEC wanted the conference to maintain its focus on reducing global warming emissions. He stressed the need for the world to invest heavily in all energy sources, including hydrocarbons, and that “the energy transition must be just, balanced and inclusive.” This is the first time the OPEC Secretary General has spoken out about the United Nations (UN) climate negotiations through the letter.

Some countries such as France and Spain expressed strong opposition while others such as Iraq supported OPEC's position. In particular, countries vulnerable to climate change warned that opposing the mention of fossil fuels at COP28 would threaten the entire world. In a statement, Ms. Tina Stege, climate envoy of the Marshall Islands, said that fossil fuels pose a great risk to the future and prosperity of all people on Earth, including citizens of OPEC countries.

The proposal to phase out or eliminate fossil fuels is one of the contents included in the first draft of the climate action agreement. The latest draft, published on December 8, shows that countries are considering a range of options from agreeing to eliminate fossil fuels based on the best available science , to phasing out fossil fuels, to not mentioning the use of fossil fuels in the future. This is the issue that delegates from nearly 200 countries and territories are trying to find common ground at COP28. In theory, an agreement should be completed by December 12, the final meeting day of the conference.

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