Saudi Arabia Leads Fight Against Deal To End Fossil Fuel Use

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, together with Russia and several other countries clashed with a coalition of about 80 other countries at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai over the weekend as they opposed the coalition’s call for an agreement to phase out the use of fossil fuels completely.

The coalition, made up of the European Union, the United States, and a number of island nations particularly vulnerable to climate change, has been pushing for an agreement that would make an unprecedented commitment to ending the use of oil, gas and coal, fossil fuels seen as the main source of greenhouse gases that scientists blame for global warming.

However, led by Saudi Arabia, nations from OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, have been opposing such a deal, with Saudi Arabia and Russia insisting that the conference, which is being attended by representatives of some 200 nations, focus only on reducing climate pollution and not on targeting the fossil fuels that cause it.

OPEC sent out a letter last week urging its members and allies to reject any mention of fossil fuels in any agreement at the climate talks,

Other large countries, such as India and China, have not explicitly endorsed a fossil fuel phase-out, but have backed a popular call for boosting renewable energy.

COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber of the UAE on Sunday urged negotiators to work harder to find a consensus on the proposed deal before the conference wraps up on Tuesday.

He convened a special forum in an attempt to encourage delegates to reach an agreement. At the meeting, the delegates restated their positions, but no sign of compromise was immediately evident.