Al-Ghais: Oil and gas are God’s gift and the world must invest in energy sources without exception
The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al-Ghais, stressed on Wednesday that the world must adopt all energy sources without exception.
Al-Ghais said at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) that crude oil and natural gas are “a gift from God,” and that talks on limiting global warming should focus on reducing emissions, not choosing energy sources.
His comments were in line with the opening speech of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who responded to Western criticism of his country's oil and gas industry, also describing these resources as a "gift from God."
"They are actually a gift from God," Al-Ghais, a veteran Kuwaiti oil executive, said in a speech at the conference hosted by Baku, Azerbaijan.
“These resources affect how food is produced, packaged and transported, how medical research is conducted and how medical supplies are manufactured and distributed. I could go on and on with an endless number of examples,” he added.
He pointed out that the world's governments, which set a ceiling for the rise in global temperature during the Paris summit in 2015 of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial revolution level, can achieve their climate goals without shifting away from oil.
Al-Ghais continued, "The Paris Agreement focuses on reducing emissions, not on choosing energy sources."
OPEC said technologies such as carbon capture could address the climate change impacts of burning fossil fuels link
