DUBAI, December 9. /TASS/. OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais has urged member states of the alliance to reject all statements on gradual fossil fuels phase out suggested to be put on the final document of the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28). A respective letter (with its copy obtained by TASS) has been sent by the OPEC chief to delegations of all 13 OPEC nations, as well as ten countries that have joined the OPEC+ agreement.

"I take this opportunity to respectfully urge all respected OPEC+ and non-OPEC countries that have joined the Charter of Cooperation to proactively reject any text or formula that targets energy i.e. fossil fuels rather than emissions," the letter said.

The alliance’s member states realize the importance of tackling the climate change, though "the undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point with irreversible consequences," Al Ghais noted. "It would be unacceptable that politically motivated campaigns put our people's prosperity and future at risk," he stressed.

The secretariat of the Framework Convention on Climate Change released late on Friday a draft of the COP28 final document, which contains a few options of the future use of fossil fuel, including provisions on its gradual phase out.