Dubai climate summit chairman discredited after statements about climate science | climate

Chairman Sultan Ahmed al Jaber of the climate summit in Dubai has been discredited. He says science does not show that phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to limit global warming, reports The Guardian.

Al Jaber is also said to have said that phasing out fossil fuels undermines sustainable developments, “unless you want the world to live in caves again”.

Al Jaber said this to Mary Robinson on November 21, report The Guardian and the Center for Climate Reporting. Robinson is chairman of the community organization The Elders.

The appointment of Al Jaber as chairman of the COP28 climate summit has already caused a lot of commotion. He is CEO of the state oil company ADNOC in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Critics believe that this means he has to wear two hats.

What wording should be used around reducing fossil fuels remains a topic for discussion at the climate summit. Some countries, including the Netherlands, want a complete phase-out of fossil fuels. For the time being, the host country UAE will not go further than “phasing out” instead of “phasing out”.