Haitham Al-Ghais, Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), emphasized on Monday that leaving oil untapped would not facilitate an energy transition but instead create disorder in the industry.
Speaking at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, Al-Ghais criticized the approach of tarnishing the reputation of the oil sector, stating, “We do not feel that distorting the reputation of this sector is a constructive approach.” His remarks came amid an ongoing dispute between OPEC and the International Energy Agency (IAE) regarding climate policy.
Last week, Al-Ghais accused the IAE of misrepresenting the oil and gas industry. In October, he had stressed in Riyadh that climate action should not compromise global energy security. Warning against calls to halt investment in new oil projects, he stated, “Such demands are misleading and could lead to chaos in the field of energy and the economy.”
