Hello!
Welcome to COP28 and the Gaspresso (get it?) newsletter from your friends at the Global Gas and Oil Network. Over the next two weeks, we’ll endeavor to provide intel, updates, and resources to help you stay current on fossil fuel happenings in Dubai. Please reach out at any time!
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Below, you’ll find resources on the state of fossil fuels and expectations for this COP. A number of our members and partners will be releasing reports, holding press conferences, and making themselves available to speak about the key issues involved in the fight for a fossil fuel phaseout.
We especially hope to see you at our press briefing on Friday from 16:30 to 17:00 at Press Room 2. (More on that below.)
Future Gaspresso editions will include more as it becomes available. We wish you a happy, healthy, safe, and productive COP.
Best,
Gabbi, Ashwini, Danae, Lerato, and the GGON team
EVENTS PREVIEW
Press conference: National oil companies, climate and the energy transition
Thursday, 30 November, 2023 | 9:00-9:30 AM GST
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone) | Livestream
National oil companies produce about 55 percent of the oil and gas the world consumes. Nevertheless, these companies and their role in the energy transition have largely remained on the sidelines of climate negotiations, debates and campaigning. As public entities, national oil companies (or NOCs)are owned by the citizens of oil-producing countries, many of which face persistent poverty and high inequality. Join three experts on national oil companies, climate and energy transition for insights on NOCs and what is at stake at COP28.
Speakers: Denis Gyeyir - NRGI Africa Senior Program Officer; Dr. Natalie Jones - International Institute for Sustainable Global Development Energy Program Policy Advisor; Glada Lahn - Senior Research Fellow, Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House
Press conference: Fossil fuel battle grounds at COP28
Thursday 30th December at 16:30 to 17:00
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone)
After a year of record heat, record climate disasters, millions displaced and killed, no one can deny fossil fuels are responsible for this climate chaos. And yet fossil fuel companies and the governments that prop them up are delaying climate action and continue business as usual. UNFCCC is a crucial moment to turn off the tap, and transition towards a clean energy future. This press conference will showcase key battlegrounds where communities are fighting the fossil fuel industry´s oxic agenda, conflict of interest at UNFCCC and the leadership needed from the UAE Presidency to deliver an outcome on fossil fuel phase out.
Speakers: Jean Su, Energy Justice Director , Center for Biological Diversity; Jax Bongon, IBON International, member of Kick Big Polluters Out; Thuli Makama, Africa campaign Director at Oil Change International; Shady Khalil, Campaigns Lead, Greenpeace MENA
World Premier Screening: Up In Smoke
Thursday 30th November | 17:00
WWF Pavilion (Blue Zone), COP28 | Livestream
Burning fossil fuels is responsible for the climate crisis- we must swiftly reduce our dependence on them. WWF and NOMINT have collaborated on a short stop motion film illustrating the devastating effects of our fossil fuel dependency. Please join as at the World Premiere of “UP IN SMOKE” With an introductory speech by, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Lead, Climate and Energy, WWF, followed by a conversation on how ending our reliance on fossil energy can be achieved and how art contributes to the cause.
Press conference: Expectations for COP & Canada
Thursday 30th December | 17:30-18:00
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone)
The press conference will include a discussion of why COP needs to land an agreement to phase out fossils, and who is standing in the way of that. Speakers will discuss expectations for Canada, how Big Oil and Big Finance are stalling action and promoting dangerous distractions that put Indigenous communities at further risk (like carbon capture and carbon markets) and what Canadian Premiers with little interest in taking climate action are doing at COP.
Speakers: Julia Levin, Environmental Defence Canada; Julie Segal, Environmental Defence Canada; Tzeporah Berman, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty; Carole Monture, Indigenous Climate Action; Joe Vipond, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment & Calgary Climate Hub
Event: 100 Cities Demand a Fossil Fuel Treaty
Friday 1st December | 10:00-10:30 GST
Climate Live Pavilion (Blue Zone) | Livestream
From Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: Be a part of this momentous occasion during COP28 as 100 cities worldwide come together to advocate for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. From Paris, to Hobart, to Belém, this global live stream event will feature key discussions and insights from city leaders, emphasising the crucial role cities play in the just transition away from fossil fuels. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear firsthand accounts, learn about the challenges these cities face, and understand the collective push for a sustainable, fossil-free future. For a full list of events put on by Treaty, see here.
Press conference: Energy Transition Package in Focus
Friday 1st December | 11.00-11:30
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone)
As the doors open on COP 28, global attention is squarely on the energy sector. With a staggering 91% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions stemming from fossil fuels in 2022, the anticipation is high for a bold energy transition package at this year's UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Stay tuned as these experts contribute their insights and perspectives on the crucial topic of transitioning to sustainable energy. The world is eager to witness the discussions and potential solutions that may shape the future of our planet's energy landscape.
Speakers: Minister Seve Paeniu, Minister of Finance, Tuvalu; Catherine Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of Destination Zero; Andreas Sieber, Associate Director of Policy at 350.org
Simon Lewis; Chair of Global Change Science at University College London
Press conference: Full, Fast, Fair and Funded
Friday 1st December | 13:00-13:30
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone)
The fundamental test on fossil fuel phase-out for COP 28 and the Global North.
Speakers: David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (TBC); Carroll Muffett, President and CEO, Center for International Environmental Law; Jean Su, Energy Justice Program Director and Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity (Facilitated by Ashwini Prabha, GGON)
Press conference: Energy Package Reality Check
Friday 1st December | 16:30 to 17:00
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone)
The science is clear: we need a full, fast, fair, funded phaseout of fossil fuels. But oil companies and the governments that support them are delaying what is needed with distractions. This press conference will lay out what should be included in the energy package, and expose the tricks governments may attempt to keep fossil fuels flowing, including the baseless Global Decarbonization Alliance.
Speakers: Romain Ioualalen, Oil Change International; Ericka Lennon, Centre for Environmental Law; Nimmo Bassey, Oil Watch Africa and HOMEF
Press conference: His Excellency the Dugong
Saturday 2nd December | 16:30
Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77 (Blue Zone)
From Leave It In the Ground (LINGO): His Excellency the Dugong, Special Envoy to COP28, invites you to its Press Briefing. Close to the beaches of COP28, oil and gas companies are setting up a fossil gas megaproject: Ghasha-Hail, in direct contradiction to the Paris Agreement.
It encroaches upon Marawah Marine Protected Area, the largest in the Gulf, home to the second largest Dugong (sea cow) population in the world. This will cut through feeding grounds for this vulnerable marine mammal and other endangered species. Tired of greenwashing, the Dugong Special Envoy will make an intervention on behalf of the Dugong community on this urgent topic and issue a relevant call to fellow human COP28 delegates.
INTEL
From Greenpeace Africa: African scientists urge African leaders to reject fossil fuels at COP28:
Ahead of the COP28 climate summit, 50 African scientists and over 4000 youth across 30 African countries have called on African leaders to seize the opportunity to transition the continent to 100% renewable energy and reject the destructive path of fossil fuels.
In an open letter addressed to African Heads of State and Governments, the scientists decried a new scramble for oil, gas, and coal in the continent, driven by former colonial and neocolonial powers. The letter calls on African leaders to reject these investments and instead focus on developing modern, decentralized renewable energy sources for the continent.
RESOURCES
Check out our website for UN Climate Talks ggon.org/COP28/ and see our toolkit for media on oil and gas issues.
Latin America + Caribbean toolkit
GGON has compiled this toolkit for media for oil and gas issues specifically pertaining to the LAC region. It’s available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Africa toolkit
GGON has compiled this toolkit for media for oil and gas issues specifically pertaining to the African continent.
PARTNER REPORTS
National oil companies, climate and the energy transition
From NRGI: National oil companies produce about 55 percent of the oil and gas the world consumes. Nevertheless, these companies and their role in the energy transition have largely remained on the sidelines of climate negotiations, debates and campaigning. As public entities, national oil companies (or NOCs) are owned by the citizens of oil-producing countries, many of which face persistent poverty and high inequality. Two new reports from the Natural Resource Governance Institute shed light on these companies and their role in the energy transition:
- Riskier Bets, Smaller Pockets: How National Oil Companies are Spending Public Money Amid the Energy Transition. Despite the imperative to transition beyond fossil fuels, NOCs are planning $1.8 trillion on oil and gas developments and expansions over the next 10 years. Seventy-one percent of these investments will only turn a profit if humanity fails to meet the 1.5 C target. A quarter of the total NOC investment will be unprofitable if oil demand falls to 55 million barrels a day, which is in line with the International Energy Agency’s Announced Pledges Scenario. Press release.
- Facing the Future: What National Oil Companies Say About the Energy Transition: This analysis of NOC public statements about the energy transition found that few are prepared to meet this challenge. Only 9 out of 21 NOCs analyzed acknowledge the risk of the energy transition, 4 have mentioned the use of transition risk assessments, and 5 have explicitly mentioned strategies to mitigate the risk. None of the NOCs have published “just transition plans” detailing how they will help workers and communities.
CETP Progress
From IISD: Putting Promises Into Practice: Clean Energy Transition Partnership signatories’ progress on implementing clean energy commitments
- Any deal at COP28 to triple renewables and double energy efficiency will need financing, including public/concessional financing. However, the report finds that the 19 high-income signatories to the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP, also known as the Glasgow Statement) have not yet fulfilled their pledge to shift international public finance to clean energy, even though they have made significant progress on ending fossil fuel support. All high-income signatories need to publish CETP-aligned policies that “fully prioritize” international public finance for clean energy.
The IRA vs. Fossils in the Biden administration
From Center for Biological Diversity: Out-Polluting Progress at biodiv.us/3G7GCM6
- A new analysis showing that the fossil fuel projects approved by the Biden administration threaten to erase the climate progress projected under the Inflation Reduction Act and other U.S. climate policies, in addition to harming communities and wildlife. The report calls on the Biden administration to change course by implementing a bold fossil fuel phaseout plan, starting with halting the approval of new fossil fuel projects and phasing out existing fossil fuel extraction.
Beyond Abatement briefing
From CIEL and OCI: Beyond Abatement: securing a full phase out of fossil fuels at COP28
- In the context of the upcoming fight to secure an agreement on the phase out of all fossil fuels at COP28, it is clear that negotiations around the inclusion of the "unabated" qualifier in any decision text will be contentious. We see a very real risk that this word could 1) end up casting doubt on the scale and speed of the decline in fossil fuels that is needed to limit warming to 1.5°C and 2) be used to justify further expanding fossil fuel infrastructure.
Offshore carbon capture report
From CIEL: Deep Trouble: The Risks of Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage
- The report explores the risks associated with sub-seabed carbon dioxide storage and reveals the global increase in proposals to pool CO₂ waste in offshore hubs. Key Findings: The world’s oceans are already struggling from the impacts of climate change and the damage of polluting offshore oil and gas installations. Instead of addressing these stressors by phasing out fossil fuels, big polluters are compounding them by turning the seabed into a storage site for their CO₂ waste.
OIL AND GAS IN THE NEWS
From the BBC: UAE planned to use climate talks to make oil deals
“The United Arab Emirates planned to use its role as the host of UN climate talks as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals, the BBC has learned.
Leaked briefing documents reveal plans to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 nations.
The documents - obtained by independent journalists at the Centre for Climate Reporting working alongside the BBC - were prepared by the UAE's COP28 team for meetings with at least 27 foreign governments ahead of the COP28 summit, which starts on 30 November.
They included proposed "talking points", such as one for China which says Adnoc, the UAE's state oil company, is "willing to jointly evaluate international LNG [liquefied natural gas] opportunities" in Mozambique, Canada and Australia.”
From Channel 4 and the Centre for Climate Reporting: Undercover filming highlights
“An undercover sting operation has highlighted a Saudi Arabian government plan to artificially raise global oil demand, Channel 4 News can reveal in an investigation released just days before climate crisis talks begin in the UAE.
Officials from Saudi Arabia’s Oil Sustainability Programme (OSP) have admitted the country’s state-backed plan to target Africa and Asia with petrol, oil and diesel products, under a public programme from its Ministry of Energy.”
That’s all for now! We look forward to seeing you in the coming days.
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