Comments from Sultan Jaber, the president of the 28th United Nations Climate Conference, poured cold water on potential commitments to phase out fossil fuels. Jaber was born in 1973 and studied at well-known universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Due to his excellent professional ability and English proficiency, he is well-known in the UAE and is also known as "Dr. Sultan". Born into a civilian family, he has relied on his own efforts to hold many important positions in the UAE since 2013. He has also served as Minister of State and is good at diplomacy.
Jaber, who is also the chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., raised new questions about whether the conference can unite on a strong commitment to eliminate fossil fuels.
"In my view, the phase-out and phase-out of fossil fuels is inevitable (it's essential), but we need to be real, serious and pragmatic about it," Jaber said in the released recording. "There is no science and there are no scenarios that suggest phasing out fossil fuels will achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius target."
Even under the most optimistic scenario of meeting existing net-zero emissions commitments, the world has a small chance (just 14%) of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a November analysis by the United Nations Environment Programme. Current plans to reduce emissions will raise global temperatures by 2.9 degrees Celsius – assuming countries meet their commitments.