Chairman of the Emirati COP28 conference, Sultan Al Jaber, calls on energy companies to reduce their emissions

Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati president of the 28th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), called on energy companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions during the international conference of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) held in Vienna on Thursday.

Al Jaber, who is also the president of the Emirati oil giant ADNOC, urged the oil and gas industry to "step up its efforts, accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions from its operations, and take collective actions to reduce operational emissions."

Operational emissions, also known as "Scope 1 and Scope 2" emissions, constitute between 15 and 20% of the carbon footprint of the companies involved, and do not include gases resulting from the consumption of end customers such as the transport and manufacturing sectors, fuel and gas.

Al Jaber, whose appointment as the head of the United Nations Climate Conference to be held in Dubai later this year, sparked criticisms from environmental activists and Western officials, stated that "the efforts of the entire oil and gas sector, including international and national oil companies, must be unified to achieve climate neutrality by 2050".

Major international energy companies such as Shell, BP, and Total Energies have set their emissions reduction goals, although they only represent 15% of the global oil and gas production. In contrast, state-owned energy companies primarily owned by Gulf countries, China, and Iran, which account for at least half of the world's oil and gas production, have not set their climate goals.

Al Jaber also urged oil producers to "accelerate the sector-wide commitment to stop methane emissions by 2030." Methane is among the most harmful greenhouse gases and is emitted in large quantities from gas fields and pipelines.

"If we do this, it would significantly reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions," he added.

Al Jaber reiterated his warning that "energy demand will continue to rise, as an additional half a billion people will join our planet".

He believes that "the crucial challenge of this century is to reduce emissions as much as possible in conjunction with achieving sustainable economic growth".

He stressed that "government policies should help stimulate the use of clean energy... and reduce the cost of carbon capture and increase its viability, and support research and development activities to improve energy storage systems using batteries, energy efficiency, and other new technologies".

For years, oil producers have promoted carbon capture technology as a solution for global warming, trapping carbon before it enters the atmosphere. However, climate experts criticize this technology, considering it a distraction from the main goal of reducing emissions caused by fossil fuels.

 

AFP