"WASHINGTON - The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that countries should agree to phase out fuel emissions - not the production of oil, gas and coal - at the upcoming U.N. climate change negotiations that it will host this December.
The comments reflect deep divisions between nations over how to combat global warming ahead of the COP28 talks. Some wealthy Western governments and climate-afflicted island nations have been pushing for a phase out of fossil fuels, while resource-rich countries have campaigned to keep drilling.
UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri told Reuters in an interview that phasing out fossil fuels would hurt countries that depend on them for revenue or can not easily replace them with renewable sources.
She favored phasing out fossil fuel emissions using capture and storage technologies while ramping up renewable energy, saying this strategy lets countries fight warming while continuing to produce oil, gas, and coal."
Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas report for Reuters May 9, 2023.
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