<\/p>\n
China said on Saturday it saw progress in reaching a climate deal at a key United Nations summit in Dubai, despite a last-minute push by the Opec oil cartel to resist a phase-out of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
Opec drew outrage from green-minded countries and activists when it joined Saudi Arabia and called on members to block an emerging declaration that would seek to wind down extraction of the oil, coal, and gas that are fuelling the climate emergency.<\/p>\n
But China, the world\u2019s largest oil importer, played down the row and said it was working to find a solution that was \u201cacceptable to all parties\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve already had some progress on this issue and I believe we will have more progress in resolving this very soon in the coming few days,\u201d China\u2019s climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua told reporters at the COP28 climate conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if we do not if we do not resolve this issue, I don\u2019t see much chance of having a successful COP28,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Canadian climate minister Steven Guilbeault told AFP<\/em> he was \u201cconfident\u201d that the final text would contain language on fossil fuels, which emit planet-heating greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n Guilbeault is among a group of ministers who have been tasked by COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber \u2014 who is CEO of the UAE state oil giant ANDOC \u2014 to shepherd the negotiations and find an agreement by Tuesday when the summit is due to end.<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent groups are talking and trying to understand on what we could agree but it\u2019s still quite an embryonic conversation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Spanish ecology transition minister Teresa Ribera, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said it was \u201cquite a disgusting thing\u201d for Opec countries to be \u201cpushing against getting the bar where it has to be\u201d.<\/p>\n French Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the Opec statement left her \u201cstunned\u201d and \u201cangry\u201d.<\/p>\n Dramatically scaling up the deployment of renewable energy while winding down the production and consumption of fossil fuels is crucial to achieving the global goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n \u201c1.5 is not negotiable, and that means an end to fossil fuels,\u201d said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, which chairs the High Ambition Coalition, a broad group of nations ranging from Barbados to France, Kenya, and Pacific island states.<\/p>\n Around seven activists protested in front of Opec\u2019s booth at the COP28 venue, with their palms held up to show words such as \u201cphase out\u201d, according to video footage shared by the NGO 350.org.<\/p>\n A third draft deal released on Friday offers various ways to phase out fossil fuels but also includes the option of not mentioning them in the final text.<\/p>\n Assem Jihad, spokesman for Iraq\u2019s oil ministry, told AFP<\/em> that his country supported the Opec letter.<\/p>\n Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdel Ghani had asked the country\u2019s COP28 delegation to \u201censure that the wording of the final statement puts the emphasis on world cooperation on a reduction of emissions in order to preserve the environment and climate\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018Disgusting\u2019<\/h2>\n