The United Arab Emirates’ COP28 president designate Sultan al-Jaber said on Wednesday the oil and gas industry should phase out its methane emissions by 2030 and that investment in technology was needed to develop carbon alternatives.

Jaber was speaking in Abu Dhabi at the inaugural UAE Climate Tech conference.

The UAE is hosting the climate summit in December.

Jaber also renewed calls for a tripling of renewable energy capacity to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030 and then doubling that again by 2040, but added that renewable energy was not the only answer to climate change.

“If we are serious about curbing industrial emissions, we need to get serious about carbon capture technologies,” Jaber told a crowd of more than 1,000 participants drawn from technology companies, major industries, finance and government.

See related article: Funding for US-UAE Farm Climate Project Grows to $13 Billion

Jaber, who also heads the state oil giant ADNOC, has argued since his appointment this year for a more inclusive approach to climate action that leaves no one behind, including the fossil fuel industry.

His COP28 presidency involves shaping the conference agenda and negotiations between governments.

“For nearly five months and as part of our preparations for COP28, my team and I have been proactively engaging on a listening tour where I heard many voices from the global south, major economies, civil society and the business community,” he said.

“What is missing is a holistic, unifying ecosystem that brings all the key players together”.

Source: Reuters