UAE = Countries and organizations made speeches at the ministerial meeting of COP28, the United Nations climate change conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. There is still a large gap between the opinions of various countries regarding the abolition of fossil fuels, and it is expected that tough negotiations will continue in the future.
At COP28, the second day of the ministerial-level meeting was held on September 9, and ministers from developing countries affected by climate change called for strengthening measures as soon as possible.
Among them, the South Pacific island nation of Samoa said, "We are concerned about the slow pace of negotiations, and a global stocktake to assess progress on climate action needs a strong and effective outcome. Let's stick to the 2.1 degree target."
On the other hand, one of the participating organizations, OPEC = Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia, said, "We cannot meet the rapidly increasing energy demand unless all energy is an option," and showed a cautious attitude toward discussing the abolition of fossil fuels.
In addition, NGOs and others held the largest demonstration march ever held at the COP venue, holding placards that read "End the era of coal and oil" and "Stop investing in fossil fuels" and called on negotiating countries to abolish fossil fuels.
With regard to fossil fuels, the draft agreement includes proposals such as "phase-out" and "no mention," and the final wording is a major focus, but the ministerial meeting also highlights a large gap among the countries and organizations that participated, and it is expected that tough negotiations will continue in the future.