Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the President of the COP28 climate summit set to be hosted by the UAE, urged the energy sector on Thursday to increase its efforts towards building a clean energy system. He added during the International Conference of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which is a meeting of CEOs in the oil sector with ministers from OPEC and its allies in Vienna, that "oil and gas companies need to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier, and the sector's commitment to reach near-zero methane emissions by 2030 needs to be accelerated."
Al Jaber stated: "Phasing out fossil fuel dependence is inevitable and essential, but it cannot be done irresponsibly." He considered that "the most significant challenge of this century is to drastically reduce emissions while maintaining strong sustainable development. This is why I am keen for COP28 to be genuinely inclusive." Earlier this year, Al Jaber had urged attendees at the SIERA Week Energy Conference in Houston to work together towards ambitious steps in the transition to clean energy.
