Tuesday 14 February 2023

Fight climate change, not each other, says COP28 President

The head of the upcoming climate COP28 talks in Dubai has called for unity in the climate change fight.

During his speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Sultan al-Jaber, the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said: "There are moments in history when humanity comes together to fight a common threat. Let´s prove to ourselves that we can do it once again.

"Let´s put our differences aside. Fight climate change, not each other."

The President of the COP28 has highlighted that capital is the "greatest enabler" that can help countries materialise their climate goals - he said: "We must make sure that this capital is available, accessible and affordable.

"We need to ramp up investments across every area of decarbonisation and we should view these investments as a true opportunity rather than a burden."

He stressed the role of inclusivity in climate strategies - Al-Jaber said: "The strategies we pursue must leave no one behind. The policies we adopt must be pro-growth and pro-climate at the same time."

He explained that the energy transition must include the 800 million people who are excluded from access to energy today.

He added: "Let's make COP28, a COP of unity, a COP of action, a COP for all, a COP that will shape a better future."