Essays by Eric Worrall
… A diplomat from a developed country said: “It couldn’t get any worse.” Another said: “You can’t make this up.” …
The window is closing’: Cop28 must bring about climate change
With six months to go until the United Nations summit in Dubai, can the country’s oil executive president make nations unwilling to comply?
Fiona Harvey Environment Editor Friday 2nd June 2023 21.00 AEST
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“Cop28 must deliver enhanced emissions reduction targets and commit to peak global emissions by 2025,” he said.[There must be] a plan to promote the clean energy revolution and commit to phasing out fossil fuels. And a meaningful agreement on how to scale finance, both public and private, to help developing nations decarbonize their economies – going from billions to trillions in size. “
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That’s the theory. But even the most optimistic supporters of Cops could see their bright hopes dashed in the face of Cop28.
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Any policeman would be in trouble in such dire circumstances. For Cop28, there is an additional twist. It will take place in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, a leading oil and gas producer. And the official chosen to chair the summit – Sultan Al Jaber – is the chief executive officer of the state oil company Adnoc, which is planning to expand production capacity.
A diplomat from a developed country said: “It couldn’t get any worse.” Another said: “You can’t make this up.”
Jaber’s date in January is greeted with skepticism and dismay by climate campaigners and experts around the world. Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, said: “If asked how to make Cop28 successful, I wouldn’t hand it over to the head of a fuel company. fossils are responsible for organizing it. “I wouldn’t invite lobbyists from fossil fuel companies. I will try to make sure that everything is done to remove fossil fuels from the global energy supply as soon as possible.”
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/02/window-closing-cop28-change-course-climate-dubai
At least you can’t criticize the COP for its lack of innovation – who would have predicted that they would put an oil tycoon in charge of a climate conference?
Clearly there is only one way forward if the oil executive fails to make it. Put a climate skeptic in charge. I offer my services to organize the next COP conference after this one, COP29. With a modest eight-figure inflation-adjusted salary and a decent budget, I promise to at least do as well as the Arab oil guy.
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