UAE Ambassador to Japan Says Fossil Fuels Crucial to Clean Energy Transition

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Fossil fuels will remain a vital resource as the world transitions to cleaner energy, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Japan Shihab Al Faheem said.

"We cannot just remove [fossil fuels] because the demand will not just vanish," the ambassador told the Asian newspaper, adding that "at the end of the day," fossil fuels ensure the energy security of the global population for the transition period.

Al Faheem also said the UAE had invested heavily in new technologies, such as reducing emissions from oil production through carbon capture.

"We know what happens when your economy relies on something and you have to move on. This is why we've been diversifying our economy a lot, and we've been looking for different solutions," he said, adding that the world should take preventive measures to ensure a cleaner energy supply and not wait for climate catastrophe. This will not be achieved by "cutting energy" but by reducing emissions, the ambassador told the media.

He also highlighted the UAE's close cooperation with Japan, one of the country's largest oil importers, in developing renewable energy.

The UAE will host the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in its capital of Dubai from November 30 to December 12. The conference is expected to mark the conclusion of the first Global Stocktake, a comprehensive assessment of progress towards the Paris Agreement's climate change goals.