| Work Detail |
Spain, Kenya and Samoa join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), as Australia and Norway pledge to end international fossil fuel finance. DUBAI – A trailblazing group of territories that has pledged to end oil and gas extraction and exploration has added three new members at COP28 in Dubai, expanding the group to 24 members. Spain, Kenya and Samoa have all joined the BOGA, which means the group has doubled in size since it was launched at COP26. “We will not achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement without phasing out oil and gas,” said Dan Jorgensen, Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy for Denmark at the COP. “Science confirms this time and again. Therefore, it is an important step in the right direction that Spain, Kenya and Samoa joined BOGA today.” Founded by Costa Rica and Denmark, the group also includes Portugal, France, Sweden, the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu. “Friends” of the BOGA – which means countries that have committed to align their oil and gas sector with the Paris Agreement, but not committed to the specific goal of ending oil and gas extraction – include Italy, Finland and Chile. Colombia also joined as a friend just prior to the COP. The presence of Colombia and Kenya in the group is significant, as they are both countries in the Global South with significant oil and gas reserves, challenging the perception that low and middle-income countries need oil to develop. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Land for Samoa, said: “Samoa has joined the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance because for our country the phase-out of fossil fuels is existential.” Climate Envoy for Kenya, Ali Mohamed, added: “”Kenya is pleased to join this action-oriented alliance, which aligns with our green development strategy and ambition to pursue a development pathway that prioritises our planet and heritage of future generations of Kenyans.” |
