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COP 28: the indignation of European countries against the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
COP 28: the indignation of European countries against the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – (FRANCEINFO)
The Organization of Petroleum Producing Countries (OPEC) caused outrage during COP 28 in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). It has in fact asked its members to refuse any agreement targeting fossil fuels. France said it was “stunned” and “angry”.
“I want this COP to mark the beginning of the end for fossil fuels”, declared Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). At the same time, supporters of an exit from oil, gas and coal are firing at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Its secretary general urgently asked its members to proactively reject any agreement. “It appears that excessive and disproportionate pressure on fossil fuels may be reaching a tipping point with irreversible consequences”, wrote Haitham Al-Ghais in a December 6 letter to the organization’s 13 member countries.
“A pretty disgusting thing”
Immediate reaction among European representatives, starting with the Spanish Minister of Ecological Transition. “It’s a pretty disgusting thing for the OPEC countries to oppose putting the bar where it should be”, she said. Some members of the COP 28 president’s team are nuanced: for them, OPEC, dominated by Saudi Arabia, is above all in the maneuver, a typical technique for ending negotiations.
