The UAE President of COP28, Sultan Al Jaber, reaffirmed on Monday that he respected scientific recommendations on climate change and called for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030, responding to his detractors on the fifth day of the conference.
“We are here because we believe and we respect science,” said Sultan Al Jaber in a press conference, to which he had invited Jim Skea, the president of the IPCC, the group of climate experts mandated by the UN .
“All the work of the presidency is focused and centered on science,” he said.
The day before, a short sentence was reported by the British daily The Guardianresulting from an online exchange on November 21 with Mary Robinson, president of the Sages group (senior officials, peace activists and human rights defenders).
“No scientific study, no scenario, says that the exit from fossil fuels will allow us to reach 1.5°C. 1.5°C is my North Star. And a reduction and exit from fossil fuels is, in my opinion, inevitable. It’s essential. But we have to be serious and pragmatic,” he said.
He was asked during his press conference on Monday about this sentence, appearing to question what the IPCC and other scientists say about the necessary decline of fossil fuels, responsible for two-thirds of current emissions.
“Science says that we must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and that we must reduce emissions by 43% by 2030” to limit warming to +1.5°C, the goal set by the agreement of Paris, he replied, adding: “I have said again and again that the reduction and exit from fossil fuels was inevitable.”
“I am surprised by the constant and repeated attempts to undermine the work of the COP28 presidency,” Sultan Al Jaber added.
“This is the first presidency of a COP to actively call on the parties (COP countries) to propose formulas on all fossil fuels,” insisted the Emirati, complaining that the media were not interested not to this fact.