Even before COP28 is formally inaugurated on November 30, 2023, concerns are being raised about the energy strategy proposed by the COP28 President, Dr Sultan Al Jaber.
A coalition of 100 organizations, led by 350.org and Oil Change International, in an open letter, highlighted the energy strategy outlined by the COP28 president in two recent communications.
The open letter addresses concerns raised by Dr Al Jaber, who vetoed an ambitious outcome on fossil fuels and energy in two previous letters to diplomats and civil society.
The open letter advocates for a comprehensive, equitable, and funded phase-out of fossil fuels. It advises against pushing unrealistic measures like carbon capture and storage with energy-related outcomes.
The open letter emphasizes the need for COP28’s energy package outcome to be a formal part of the decision text, focusing on ending fossil fuel infrastructure expansion and phase-out.
“The Cop28 President’s leadership is under scrutiny. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber is the CEO of one of the largest oil companies on the planet and he has to deliver a decision to phase out fossil fuels and phase in renewable energy in line with 1.5 degrees as President of COP28. After his latest letters we have reasons for even bigger concerns and challenge the COP28 President to get behind a decision to rapidly phase out fossil fuels and phase in renewable energy instead of speaking of pledges and technologies like CCS we know won’t deliver in the foreseeable future,” wrote Andreas Sieber, Associate Director, Campaigns and Policy, 350.org
“The COP28 president has a unique power and responsibility to conduct impartial negotiations that prioritize the needs of people worldwide over the interest of the fossil fuel industry. The success of COP28 will be judged by whether countries formally agree to end fossil fuel expansion and build a just and equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels, enabled by providing the necessary funding to triple renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency. We urge the COP28 Presidency to focus on achieving that outcome instead of expanding scarce diplomatic time and capital to promoting voluntary pledges and initiatives that at best can become distractions from the main negotiations and might end up greenwashing the fossil fuel industry’s bet on climate failure,” added Romain Ioualalen, Manager, Global Policy, Oil Change International.