- 21 Feb 2024
Does COP 28 Signal an End of Fossil Fuels?
(This event is organised by MEI Political Economy research cluster.)
Between November 30 and December 12, 2023, the United Arab Emirates hosted the 28th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A major outcome of COP 28 was the conclusion of the first-ever Global Stocktake — a mechanism to measure collective progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. For fossil fuel producers, who were granted the highest representation in the history of COP, the inclusion of language on “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner” was perhaps the most striking of the COP 28 outcomes. This webinar will explore the following questions:
- What are the main outcomes of COP 28?
- Do these get us on track to keeping 1.5°C within reach?
- Does the phrase “transitioning away from fossil fuels” signal an end for the fossil fuel industry?
- What are the geopolitical implications of the phrase for fossil fuel producers and consumers such as the Gulf states and their major energy partners, such as China, Japan, and South-east Asia?
Watch the full talk here:
Listen to the full event here:
This public talk was conducted both in-person and online via Zoom on Wednesday, 21 February 2024, from 4pm to 5.30pm (SGT).
Image Source: https://unfccc.int/cop28
About the Speakers
Head of Economic, Political and Media Affairs, United Arab Emirates Embassy
Ms Sharon Seah
Senior Fellow and Coordinator
ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Ms Kate Dourian
Research Fellow
Energy Institute
Dr Aisha Al-Sarihi
Research Fellow
Middle East Institute, NUS
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan
Senior Research Fellow
Middle East Institute, NUS
[Opening Remarks] In 2019, Mohamed AlZarooni started his tenure at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as an Economic Affairs Senior Specialist, specializing in the Asian Continent. Following 3 years of successful engagement with Emirati and Foreign investors, stakeholders, companies and fellow diplomats, Mohamed was appointed as the Head of Economic, Political and Media Affairs Section at the UAE Embassy in Singapore on l October 2022.
Prior to joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohamed served in his capacity as a Senior Data Engineer under the previous Minister of Higher Education (Now Minister of Education). Mohamed holds a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cardiff University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Management from the University of Southern California, and a Masters in International Law, International Relations and Diplomacy from Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.
Ms Sharon Seah is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator at the ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. She is the coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre and Climate Change in South-east Asia Programme.
Prior to academia, Ms Seah spent 15 years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Environment Agency of Singapore. Her research interests are in ASEAN, multilateralism, rule of law, and climate change. Ms Seah graduated with a Master in Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne in 2018. She is co-editor of 50 Years of ASEAN and Singapore (World Scientific: 2017), and editor of Building a New Legal Order for the Oceans (NUS Press: 2019) for Tommy Koh. She is also the lead author of The State of South-east Asia Survey Report and the South-east Asia Climate Outlook Survey.
Ms Kate Dourian is a fellow of the Energy Institute and serves on their advisory committee in the UK. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
She has been a contributing editor at MEES since November 2020, writing opinion pieces on energy.
2018- 2021 – Middle East regional manager at the World Energy Council.
2015-2018 – MENA programme officer at the International Energy Agency in Paris. She also sat on the board of the International Energy Forum.
2013-2015 – Senior Editor of MEES.
2000-2013 – Editor-in-Chief for the Middle East at oil price reporting agency Platts (S&P Global Platts) and General Manager of the McGraw Hill Companies, based in Dubai. She served on the board of the American Business Council in Dubai.
1983-2000 – Correspondent/Senior editor at Reuters with postings in Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt, Morocco and the UK.
Kate is winner of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for the advancement of energy journalism by the Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah International Foundation, and the 2022 Lifetime Achievement award from Gulf Intelligence.
A dual British/Swiss national, she speaks fluent French, Arabic, and Armenian.
Dr Aisha Al-Sarihi is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute. Dr Al-Sarihi’s areas of research expertise and interest include clean energy policy and climate economics, policies and governance, with a focus on the Arab region. Following her PhD, she was a research officer at the London School of Economics and Political Science’s Middle East Centre. She was also a former visiting scholar at Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. Before joining MEI, Dr Al-Sarihi was a research associate in the Climate and Environment Program at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). She holds a PhD from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London and a MSc and a BSc, with distinction, in environmental science from Sultan Qaboos University.
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan is a Senior Research Fellow specialising in Middle East strategic affairs, with a particular focus on the defence and security policies of Gulf states and Israel. Prior to that, Samaan was a policy analyst at the Directorate for Strategic Affairs of the French Ministry of Defence (2008-2011), research adviser at the NATO Defence College (2011-2016), and associate professor in strategic studies at the UAE National Defence College (2016-2021).
Event Details
29 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Blk B Level 6 Singapore 119620
2. Via Zoom
