The Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais in a letter&nbsp; addressed to the oil cartel's member nations has pleaded with them to&nbsp;reject proposals for any text under negotiation at the&nbsp;COP28 Climate Summit, reported news agency Reuters on&nbsp;Friday (Dec 8). The letter referred to a draft of the COP28 text under negotiation that was published by the UN climate body on Tuesday.

A different draft was published on Friday. This new draft included a range of options from agreeing to a "phase-out of fossil fuels in line with best available science", to phasing out "unabated fossil fuels", to including no language on them at all.

"It seems that the undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point with irreversible consequences, as the draft decision still contains options on fossil fuels phase out," the letter read.

It also urged delegations at COP28 to "proactively reject any text or formula that targets energy i.e. fossil fuels rather than emissions."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explained-as-debate-over-fossil-fuels-rages-on-at-cop28-climate-summit-global-co2-emissions-hit-new-record-666515">Explained | Global CO2 emissions due to fossil fuels hit new record. Will world leaders at COP28 act now?</a>

"While OPEC Member Countries and Non-OPEC Countries participating in the Charter of Cooperation (CoC) are taking climate change seriously and have a proven record on climate actions, it would be unacceptable that politically motivated campaigns put our people's prosperity and future at risk," the letter further added.

Speaking to Reuters, OPEC said it did not comment on official communication with member nations but it continued to advise them and its partners.

Reacting to the letter, Nikki Reisch from the Center for International Environmental Law said, "The inclusion of some options that focus on the need for action toward phaseout of all fossil fuels this critical decade is a step in the right direction."

"But language calling for the massive scale-up of risky and speculative carbon capture and removal technologies risks blowing a gaping loophole through the energy package and must be struck," Reisch added.

Another climate expert said the new draft of the COP28 agreement was the beginning of the end.&nbsp;

Li Shuo, director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told Reuters the first version included options from "two extreme sides of the political spectrum" and the new options were filling in "the empty field in the middle."

(With inputs from agencies)

The Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais in a letter addressed to the oil cartel's member nations has pleaded with them to reject proposals for any text under negotiation at the COP28 Climate Summit, reported news agency Reuters on Friday (Dec 8).

The Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais in a letter addressed to the oil cartel's member nations has pleaded with them to reject proposals for any text under negotiation at the COP28 Climate Summit, reported news agency Reuters on Friday (Dec 8). The letter referred to a draft of the COP28 text under negotiation that was published by the UN climate body on Tuesday. A different draft was published on Friday. This new draft included a range of options from agreeing to a "phase-out of fossil fuels in line with best available science", to phasing out "unabated fossil fuels", to including no language on them at all. "It seems that the undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point with irreversible consequences, as the draft decision still contains options on fossil fuels phase out," the letter read. It also urged delegations at COP28 to "proactively reject any text or formula that targets energy i.e. fossil fuels rather than emissions." Also read: Explained | Global CO2 emissions due to fossil fuels hit new record. Will world leaders at COP28 act now? "While OPEC Member Countries and Non-OPEC Countries participating in the Charter of Cooperation (CoC) are taking climate change seriously and have a proven record on climate actions, it would be unacceptable that politically motivated campaigns put our people's prosperity and future at risk," the letter further added. Speaking to Reuters, OPEC said it did not comment on official communication with member nations but it continued to advise them and its partners. Reacting to the letter, Nikki Reisch from the Center for International Environmental Law said, "The inclusion of some options that focus on the need for action toward phaseout of all fossil fuels this critical decade is a step in the right direction." "But language calling for the massive scale-up of risky and speculative carbon capture and removal technologies risks blowing a gaping loophole through the energy package and must be struck," Reisch added. Another climate expert said the new draft of the COP28 agreement was the beginning of the end. Li Shuo, director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told Reuters the first version included options from "two extreme sides of the political spectrum" and the new options were filling in "the empty field in the middle." (With inputs from agencies)

OPEC head told members to block any deal at COP28 that targets fossil fuels: Report

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OPEC head told members to block any deal at COP28 that targets fossil fuels: Report