the world cannot “unplug” the current energy system, says the president of COP28

The remarks risk being controversial. The president of the next UN climate conference, COP28, called on governments on Sunday October 8 to renounce their “fantasies”. Sultan Al Jaber took as an example the hasty abandonment of existing energy infrastructure to meet climate goals.

The thorny question facing the international community is how and when to abandon fossil fuels, as global temperatures approach the threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels . The objective of not exceeding this threshold was set by the Paris Agreement in 2015. “We cannot unplug today’s energy system before building tomorrow’s system. It’s just not practical or possible.”he said at the opening of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week, a conference organized by the United Nations in Riyadh.

Climate activists have criticized the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber, president of the United Arab Emirates oil giant ADNOC, to head the COP28 which opens on November 30 in Dubai. But he nevertheless obtained the support of COP participants, including the American climate envoy, John Kerry, in part because he says he is convinced that “the gradual reduction of fossil fuels is inevitable”.