Emirati hosts want UN climate talks to deliver 'game-changing results,' with big oil at the table
A senior United Arab Emirates official says the Gulf nation wants a U.N. climate summit... A senior United Arab Emirates official has said that the Gulf nation wants a U.N. climate summit to deliver “game-changing results” for international efforts to curb global warming. Environmental campaigners have criticized the presence of oil and gas lobbyists at previous rounds of talks, warning that their interests are opposed to the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The designated chair, Sultan al-Jaber, has emphasized the need to cut emissions, rather than end fossil fuel use itself, and is committed to shifting from fossil fuels toward renewable energy such as wind and solar. With average global temperatures already about 1.2C (2.2F) above pre-industrial levels, experts say the window to meet the more ambitious target is closing fast.
Опубликовано : 2 года назад от By FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press в Environment World
FILE - Luxury towers that dominate the skyline in the Dubai Marina district, center, and the new Dubai Harbor development, right, are seen from the observation deck of "The View at The Palm Jumeirah" in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on April 6, 2021. A senior United Arab Emirates official says the Gulf nation wants a U.N. climate summit it’s hosting later this year to deliver “game-changing results” for international efforts to curb global warming. But UAE diplomat Majid al-Suwaidi said doing so will require having the fossil fuel industry at the table.
Environmental campaigners have slammed the presence of oil and gas lobbyists at previous rounds of talks, warning that their interests are opposed to the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions — caused to a large degree by the burning of fossil fuels. Last month scores of U.S. and European lawmakers called for the summit's designated chair, Sultan al-Jaber, to be replaced over his links to the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
“Our leadership have been very clear to me and our team and our president that they don’t want just another COP that’s incremental," said Majid al-Suwaidi, who as director-general of the summit plays a key role in the diplomatic negotiations. “They want a COP that is going to deliver real, big, game-changing results because they see, just like all of us, that we’re not on track to achieve the goals of Paris.”
Governments agreed eight years ago in the French capital to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) — ideally no more than 1.5C (2.7F). With average global temperatures already about 1.2C (2.2F) above pre-industrial levels, experts say the window to meet the more ambitious target is closing fast and even the less stringent goal would be missed if emissions aren't slashed sharply soon.
“We need to have oil and gas, we need to have industry, we need to have aviation, we need to have shipping, we need to have all the hard to abate sectors," he said, adding: “We need all those who can to deliver what they can, regardless of who they are.”
So far, the summit's designated chair al-Jaber has emphasized the need to cut emissions, rather than end fossil fuel use itself. It's prompted fears that he might seek loopholes for untested carbon-capture technologies and so-called offsets — both aimed at reducing current levels of carbon dioxide in the air — that experts say distract from the need to end the release of greenhouse gases.
Al-Suwaidi, who also has a background in the oil and gas sector, said the UAE leadership is acutely aware of the existential threat global warming poses — including to their own sun-rich but water-poor nation — and is committed to shifting from fossil fuels toward renewable energy such as wind and solar.
“Rather than talking about what we’re stopping people from doing, let’s talk about how we’re helping them to take up solutions ... that are going to help us to address the emissions problem we have,” he said.
Темы: ESG