Saudi Arabia blocks exit from fossil fuels
More than 100 countries want to agree a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas. The Saudi energy minister is now saying what he thinks of the plan: nothing at all. And he is not holding back with his criticism.
Saudi Arabia is openly opposing the call by more than 100 countries to agree a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas at the World Climate Conference in Dubai. Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman told Bloomberg that the kingdom would not agree to such a resolution. "Absolutely not," he said on Monday evening in Riyadh when asked whether his country would welcome this. Salman called states pushing for a fossil fuel phase-out "hypocritical". Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and the third largest oil producer.
The phase-out of all fossil fuels, the combustion of which releases greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate, is the central point of contention at the meeting of almost 200 countries. In a new draft for the final document, which was published on Tuesday night, this option is included but marked as controversial. The text must be adopted unanimously. The negotiations are scheduled to end on December 12.
"The science is clear"
UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized at the start of the COP28 climate conference: "The science is clear. The 1.5 degree target is only possible if we stop burning fossil fuels for good." This refers to the goal agreed in Paris in 2015 of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.
According to a UN report published on Tuesday, climate change accelerated rapidly in the warmest decade in recorded history from 2011 to 2020. More and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have led to "a turbocharged, dramatic acceleration of ice melt and sea level rise", according to the World Meteorological Organization in Dubai.
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Despite the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for a complete phase-out of fossil fuels at COP28, Saudi Arabia, as the world's largest oil exporter, has openly opposed this proposal. During the climate conference in Dubai 2023, Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman openly criticized countries pushing for a fossil fuel phase-out, labeling them as "hypocritical."
Source: www.ntv.de
