COP28 president walks back claim of 'no science' behind need to phase out fossil fuels

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who heads up both the latest climate change conference and a major oil company, said his remarks were taken out of context

The head of the COP28 climate summit is walking back comments he made last month to the effect that there is “no science” behind the notion that a phase-out of fossil fuels is required to keep Earth’s temperature from rising to more than 1.5 degrees Celcius above preindustrial levels.

“We very much believe and respect the science,” COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said on Monday. “We fully understand the urgency behind this matter. I have always been very clear on the fact that we are making sure that everything we do is centred around the science.”