Countries react to OPEC blocking deal that could involve fossil fuels

Countries advocating a reduction or phase-out of fossil fuel use reacted sharply this Saturday to the OPEC leader’s opposition to any COP28 agreement related to oil, gas and coal.

“I think it’s very distasteful for OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries to oppose setting the bar where it should be” on climate change, Spain’s Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera, whose country once holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

France’s energy transition minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said she was “stunned” and “furious.”

Both ministers were reacting to the words of Kuwaiti OPEC Secretary-General Haitham al-Ghais, who this week “urgently” asked the 23 members or associated countries to “actively reject” any agreement related to fossil fuels in the negotiating climate.

The intervention has sparked a range of reactions in Dubai, where the future of fossil fuels is at the center of negotiations and leading OPEC nation and Arab bloc Saudi Arabia are increasingly accused of obstructing oil talks. The Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which is taking place in Dubai and ends on Tuesday.

“Nothing threatens the prosperity and future of the world’s people, including OPEC citizens, more than fossil fuels,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, which are in the Pacific Ocean and are threatened by rising sea levels.

Meanwhile, “no country wants to be seen as a troublemaker,” added a member of the COP28 presidential team, who particularly views Saudi maneuvers as a typical negotiating method.

OPEC has its own pavilion at COP28. Seven demonstrators held a short protest this Saturday morning, according to a video from the non-governmental organization 350.org.

“OPEC’s response shows that it is afraid of growing calls for a fossil fuel phase-out and energy transition. There is now a real chance that COP28 will signal the beginning of the end [combustíveis] fossils,” said Helena Spiritus of the WWF.

A negotiator from a country that favors a fossil fuel phase-out said the Arab group at the UN is the only one completely opposed to it.

Positions are hardening as COP28 enters its final phase, with ministers from participating countries returning to bring negotiations to a successful conclusion by Tuesday.

Developing countries are demanding compensation from rich countries for abandoning fossil fuels. The terms “equity” and “fairness” are the most commonly used words in these countries. Behind the scenes, ministers are negotiating to find a formula that can combine a strong message in favor of a shift away from fossil fuels and a recognition that developing countries should not sacrifice their economic development.

Canada’s Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault, who is playing a key role in the discussions, expressed relative optimism, telling the AFP news agency he was “quite confident” that fossil fuels would be mentioned in the final text.

Veteran negotiators at UN climate summits said on Saturday that efforts to wean the world off fossil fuels had gained so much momentum that they were dealing a blow to a powerful enemy – the oil industry.

“I think that [os países produtores de petróleo e a indústria petrolífera] they’re panicking,” said Alden Meyer, an analyst at climate think tank E3G.

“The Saudis may not be able to do what they have been doing for 30 years on their own, which is blocking the process,” Meyer added.

Former Irish President Mary Robinson said: “They are scared. I think they’re worried.”

Germany’s climate envoy Jennifer Morgan suggested that any call to block the deal would be felt most by small countries vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by global warming.