Senior Arab energy ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) arrived in Doha today, Monday, to participate in the 12th Arab Energy Conference, as disagreements intensify among countries participating in the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) over a potential deal to phase out fossil fuels. OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais urged OPEC members in a message, which Reuters reviewed, to reject any agreement from COP28 targeting fossil fuels instead of emissions.
Ministers from Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, and Oman attended the energy meeting, along with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who was in Dubai for the United Nations climate summit. The UAE's Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei was absent from the conference.
Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, and its largest ally Russia are among the many countries insisting that the COP28 conference in Dubai focus solely on reducing climate pollution rather than targeting the fossil fuels responsible for it, according to negotiators' observations. However, at least 80 countries, including the United States, the European Union, and many poorer nations threatened by climate change, are calling for the COP28 agreement to clearly advocate for a definitive end to fossil fuel use.
When asked about Kuwait's stance on climate talks, Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak told reporters that the position had not yet been determined. Any agreements at United Nations climate conferences must be unanimously approved by nearly 200 participating countries. The summits aim to achieve consensus on the next steps the world must take to address climate change, but it remains the responsibility of each country to ensure this through its national policies and investments.
For oil-rich countries, reaching an agreement to phase out fossil fuels, even without a specific deadline, would signal a political willingness from other countries to reduce their use. COP28 is set to conclude on December 12, alongside the two-day Arab Energy Conference.
