“Reducing the use of fossil fuels is inevitable,” said Sultan Al Jaber, the president of the upcoming COP28, on Thursday on the sidelines of the negotiations at the headquarters of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, according to AFP.

“The speed at which this happens will depend on how quickly we can gradually introduce carbon-free alternatives while ensuring the security and availability of cheap energy,” added Al Jaber, whose every word on fossil fuels is scrutinized, six months before. a conference called by the UN climate chief the most important since 2015, which culminated in the Paris Agreement.

Al Jaber defended the COP28 roadmap, which includes “a global goal to triple the use of renewable energy, double energy efficiency and double clean hydrogen, all by 2030.”

The importance of phasing out fossil fuels

The announcement comes as many participants and observers at the UN-sponsored climate talks are calling on Al-Jaber to clearly recognize the importance of divesting from fossil fuels, a goal that no COP has so far failed to set. not even the one in Paris.

The day before in Brussels, the head of COP28, which will be held in Dubai, signed a statement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for a “transition to energy systems without fossil fuels, excluding carbon capture”, outlining what could be a possible compromise in the coming months. between different negotiating blocs.

“We must take an urgent course to eliminate fossil fuel emissions,” he said in May during another speech in Petersberg, near Bonn. With an emphasis on reducing “emissions”, his speech was seen as a defense of oil and gas, as CO2 capture technologies are still immature and uncertain.

“Stop Fossil Fuels Now”

In Bonn, where Sultan al-Jaber will visit on Thursday and Friday, the topic of phasing out fossil fuels is widespread among NGOs and experts, who reiterate that the scientific consensus drawn up by the IPCC in numerous reports is clearly against fossil fuels, responsible for global warming .

Several activists and observers welcomed the deal, staging demonstrations calling for the “expulsion” of “oil polluters” from the talks. “End Fossil Fuels Now,” proclaimed a sign unfurled in the lobby of the convention center where thousands of negotiators are gathering.

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