In a statement to the COP28 summit in Dubai, Pope Francis stated, “I am with you because the destruction of the environment is an offense against God,” calling for the elimination of fossil fuels and promotion of lifestyles centered around energy efficiency and renewal sources.
The president of the COP28, Sultan Al-Jaber, has stated there is no science supporting the claim that phasing out fossil fuels would prevent a possible rise in average global temperature, saying, “There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C.”
Despite believing there is no science that supports the effectiveness of phasing out fossil fuels, he believes the eventual elimination of fossil fuels is unavoidable, saying, “I have said over and over that the phase down and the phase out of fossil fuel is inevitable. That is essential. But we need to be real serious and pragmatic about it.”
Al-Jaber responded to criticism that his company continues to invest in increasing oil production, saying, “Please help me, show me the road map for a phase-out of fossil fuel that will allow for sustainable socioeconomic development, unless you want to take the world back into caves.”
Dr. Patrick Moore, who co-founded Greenpeace, said in an interview with Alex Newman that the goal to eliminate fossil fuels would be a disaster, stating, “It’s a recipe for mass suicide,” and continued, “If we did it on a global level, it would result in the decimation of the human population from seven odd billion down to who knows how few people.”
