The expansion of drilling would “not have a deep impact. I’m not saying it’s impactless completely, but it’s not going to have a significant impact.” The US was still committed to its climate targets, of a 50-52% reduction in emissions by 2030, compared with 2005 levels, he added.
He conceded that the expansion of fossil fuels in the US was difficult to explain to other countries, however. “It obviously has challenges of perception or messaging,” he said. “There’s a danger that somebody distorts it, and says ‘they did it, therefore we can do it’. That’s why I say you’ve got to understand it, you’ve got to put it in a real context of what it really means and what the impact of this is going to be.
The appointment of Sultan Al Jaber as president of the next UN climate summit, Cop28, in the United Arab Emirates in November, has been condemned by activists who say his role as chief of the UAE national oil company Adnoc creates a conflict of interest.Jaber told the Guardian would help him bring a business focus to the role