The Cop28 president has claimed there is no science behind calls to phase-out fossil fuels as a way of limiting global heating to 1.5C.
The remarks by Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, the United Arab Emirate’s designated leader of the summit in Dubai, resurfaced on Sunday, sparking a backlash from some experts.
During an online event alongside former Irish president Mary Robinson last month, Mr Jaber insisted a phase-out of oil would not allow sustainable development “unless you want to take the world back into caves”.
The remarks, first reported by The Guardian, rippled through the Dubai summit on Sunday and were met with dismay by some climate scientists and activists.
Did they honestly think he was going to advocate bankrupting his oil-dependent economy for a little thing like not killing everyone?
He could just aknowledge his past faults and use his money to invest in regenerative means?