Countless lives can be saved by putting national interests aside and spearheading a fossil fuel phase-out at this year’s COP. There is a big difference between national leaders and global leaders. The former push national interests on the global stage, often using the rhetoric of global solutions. The latter carry a vision that extends beyond personal interests, election cycles or profit margins to do the best for humanity.
The position of president of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the United Nations’ annual climate summit, requires a global leader. This year’s conference will be held in the United Arab Emirates under the presidency of Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. It is hard not to be deeply sceptical of the idea that the head of an oil company will be able to drive the 28th summit of COP towards an outcome that gives the world hope about its future in the shadow of a devastating climate crisis. That is because fossil fuels account for 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and in order to have some hope, we must end the use of oil, gas and coal in a rapid and just manner…
Source:aljazeera.com
