We cannot turn off the energy system, says COP leader – 10/08/2023 – Market

The president of the next UN climate conference, COP28 to be held in Dubai, called on governments this Sunday (8) to leave behind “fantasies” such as the hasty abandonment of existing energy infrastructures to meet climate goals.

“We cannot turn off today’s energy system before we build tomorrow’s new system. It is simply not practical or possible,” Sultan al Jaber said during the opening of Middle East and North Africa Climate Week, a conference organized by the UN in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

“We have to separate fact from fiction, reality from fantasy, impact from ideology, and we have to ensure that we avoid the pitfalls of division and distraction,” he added.

The international community faces the thorny question of how and when to phase out fossil fuels, a question that becomes relevant at a time when global temperatures approach 1.5ºC above the level recorded in the pre-industrial era.

At the Paris Climate Conference in 2015, countries committed not to exceed this limit.

Environmental activists criticized Sultan al Jaber’s appointment as president of COP28, which begins on November 30 in Dubai, due to his profile, as he is director of the Emirates’ national hydrocarbons company, ADNOC.

But Jaber has won significant support, including from US climate emissary John Kerry, because he says he is convinced that “phasing out fossil fuels is inevitable”.

Senior officials in the energy sector, in the UAE and other countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer, defend continued investment in fossil energy to guarantee energy security, but contemplate a possible transition to abandon its use.

Financing the fight against global warming is another of the major challenges of the negotiations. Developing countries, which have less responsibility for climate change, want to get money from rich countries that have polluted the most to adapt to the consequences.

In 2009, rich countries committed to delivering US$100 billion per year to developing countries, but fell short of this goal in 2020, as planned.

“Old promises must be fulfilled, including the $100 billion promised more than a decade ago,” Jaber said.

Crossroads

At COP27 in 2022, in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, it was agreed to create a “loss and damage” fund for the poorest countries.

“We must make the loss and damage fund promised in Sharm el-Sheikh a reality in Dubai,” Jaber stressed.

The conference in Saudi Arabia seeks to “highlight challenges and solutions in a region that is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change,” meeting organizers said in a statement on Sunday.

These countries are faced with high temperatures and lack of water and more than 60% of the population “has limited or no access to drinking water”, highlighted the organizers, who highlighted that “increased temperatures could cause a more persistent drought and more sharp”.

Jaber mentioned extreme events such as Storm Daniel, which caused deadly floods in Libya in September.

“Climate change is not a threat just around the corner, the region knows this from experience with heat waves and water shortages,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme.

For Simon Stiell, UN executive secretary for climate change, the region is “at a crossroads, faced not only with the devastating effects of climate change, but also with the challenges of transitioning its economies to ensure prosperity in a world aligned with 1.5°C”.