The debate about the necessity to phase out fossil fuels continued at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai following the emergence yesterday of a recording of a heated exchange between Chair of the Elders Mary Robinson and President of COP28 Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber.
The sultan said that his comments about science and phasing out fossil fuels were taken out of context and misrepresented to get maximum coverage.
Sultan Al-Jaber - who also heads state oil giant ADNOC - insisted again that he understood and respected what science had to say about the relationship between fossil fuels and climate change.
He was responding to questions about an angry exchange he had in debate with Ms Robinson over whether or not phasing out fossil fuels would be enough to prevent global warming rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The 50-year-old, who is also the United Arab Emirates' climate envoy, added that removing fossil fuels would take the world "back into caves".
He said he respects facts and numbers and that his statement has been misrepresented and misinterpreted to gets maximum coverage.
Meanwhile the UN General Secretary told the delegates that the science is clear that limiting global warming to 1.5C will only be possible if fossil fuels usage is stopped.
Dr Tara Shine, CEO of Change by Degrees, a sustainability consultancy and a former advisor to the Mary Robinson Foundation said she is surprised that Mr Al Jaber "took this moment" to say there is no science supporting the ending of fossil fuels, because there is plenty.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said: "I am less surprised that this comes from him as he is in a conflicting role, acting both as president of COP which aims to stabalise our climate and ensure that we all have a safe climate into the future and he also runs one of the biggest oil companies in the world.
"So, he has been in a position of a conflict of interest right from the outset of the job."
Dr Shine said there are clear messages coming from the International Energy Agency, the secretary general of the UN and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the use of fossil fuels needs to be stopped in order to reach the 1.5C target.
This morning the former US vice president Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his environmental campaigns, entered the fray.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper he said phasing out of fossil fuels can be the only measure of success at COP28.
Mr Gore said it would be one of the most significant events in the history of humanity if global leaders at COP28 committed to phase out fossil fuels.
He welcomed the Loss and Damage Fund that was set up at the summit last week to help poorer and vulnerable countries impacted by climate disasters.
However, he said the monies committed so far to the Loss and Damage Fund, which amount to over $700 million (€644 million) , represents just a pittance compared to the amount of assistance that is really needed.
The crucial element at COP28 he said would be agreement to wind down fossil fuels which "would be huge for humanity".
He said COP28 will be a failure if it does not commit to phase out the use of oil coal and gas.
The official designated themes at COP28 today are Finance, Trade, Gender equality and accountability.
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