The third vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, has accused the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) of hindering the final agreement of the UN climate summit (COP28) that is being held in Dubai, and has described his position as "disgusting."
"It is repugnant that the OPEC countries are putting pressure on us to not get to where we need to get," he said.
"We are not talking about getting rid of fossil fuels tomorrow but, unless we create the conditions to reduce them, we will continue to waste trillions of money on things that damage our climate, harm sustainable development and, of course, are quite unfair," he explained. the minister.
This was his reaction to the words of the Secretary General of OPEC, Haitham al Ghais, who this week "urgently" asked in various letters to his 23 member or associate countries to "proactively reject" any agreement focused on fossil fuels in the negotiations on the weather.
The Kuwaiti's intervention provoked an avalanche of reactions in Dubai, where the future of fossil fuels is at the center of the negotiations.
French Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said she was “stunned” and “angry.”
“Nothing endangers the prosperity and future of the Earth's inhabitants, including the citizens of OPEC countries, more than fossil fuels,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Pacific Marshall Islands threatened by the increase. of the waters.
"The third vice president has stated that the draft agreement that came out on Friday at COP28 is very vague."
"We need to be more explicit, reduce the presence of fossil fuels and be able to do without them," said Ribera, who added that "our battle today is to set dates, percentages and start with coal."
"It is worth fighting the battle, it is worth making it clear that it is very difficult to create conditions for massive investment in this transformation and at the pace at which we need if we still continue to speak vaguely," he concluded.
OPEC has its own pavilion at COP28. Seven protesters held a brief sit-in there on Saturday morning to protest against the letter, according to a video from the NGO 350.org.
“OPEC's reaction shows that they fear the growing calls to abandon fossil fuels and an energy transition,” commented WWF's Helena Spiritus. "There is now a real possibility that COP28 will send the signal that the age of fossils is beginning," he added.
A negotiator for a country in favor of a phase-out of fossil fuels says the Arab group at the UN is the only one that shows complete opposition to the possible agreement to abandon fossil fuels.
Positions are hardening as COP28 enters its final stretch with ministers returning from Saturday to bring negotiations to a successful conclusion on Tuesday.
In the interventions, the countries did not show any notable evolution in their public positions.
Qatar's representative even took the opportunity to praise natural gas, of which his country is a major producer. “Qatar supplies clean energy to world markets through the production of natural gas,” Qatar's Environment Minister Faleh Nasser al Thani said without batting an eyelid.
Meanwhile, emerging and developing countries demand compensation from rich countries to sign off on fossil fuels with arguments that invoke equity and justice.
Indian Climate Minister Bhupender Yadav called on developed countries to “lead by example.”
Behind the scenes, ministers are negotiating a formulation capable of combining a strong signal in favor of exiting fossil fuels and the recognition that developing countries should not sacrifice their economic prosperity.
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who plays a key role in the debates, was relatively optimistic, telling AFP he was "pretty sure" fossil fuels would be mentioned in the final text.
