Former president of Republic of Ireland makes first comments since Sultan Al Jaber told her a fossil fuel phase out could mean ‘going back into caves’
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels to hit record high
Mary Robinson has made her first comment since the row over the Cop28 president’s controversial and ill-tempered response to her questions on the need for a fossil fuel phase out, revealed by the Guardian.
Robinson, chair of the Elders and former president of the Republic of Ireland, has taken a diplomatic approach, as perhaps befits a former UN climate change envoy. She does not name Sultan Al Jaber, who had told her a fossil fuel phase out could mean “going back into caves”.
“It’s clear that the comments by Al Jaber were a moment where the mask slipped and all his warm words about being a climate champion were revealed as greenwashing. When someone shows you what they are, we should believe them. He showed that when pushed, he lashed out with the climate denial lines proposed by the fossil fuel industry for years.”
“From the moment this absurd masquerade began, it was only a matter of time before [Al Jaber’s] preposterous disguise no longer concealed the reality of the most brazen conflict of interest in the history of climate negotiations. Obviously, the world needs to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible.”
his … assertion, about human civilisation devolving back to caves, received much less attention. But it is even more pernicious.
Opponents of action on climate change have almost entirely stopped denying the science in the face of conclusive evidence (making Al Jaber’s claim against it all the more extraordinary). Instead they are focusing on claiming that the level of intervention needed would be economically ruinous.
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2023-12-05 02:43:39
Original from www.theguardian.com
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