'We need a green transition urgently and countries to be more ambitious' in plans to cut emissions

The UN's former climate chief said she was "giving up hope" that fossil fuel firms will be part of the solution to warming as pivotal COP28 talks start Thursday in oil-rich United Arab Emirates. With the UN climate negotiations expected to feature a showdown on the future of fossil fuels, Christiana Figueres expressed concern over reports the UAE planned to use its role as host to strike oil and gas deals. Figueres, who led the UN climate convention when the landmark Paris deal was struck, told AFP that she had previously championed the idea that the world's polluting coal, oil and gas industries should "sit at the table". "I'm actually giving up hope on that," she said, adding that it was "unforgivable" that the industries funnelled the bumper profits of recent years into shareholder dividends and lobbying efforts -- rather than invest in renewable energy technologies. She also called for more transparency around fossil fuel influence from the COP presidency, which is held by the UAE's Sultan Al Jaber, who is also head of the Emirates state oil and gas company. Reacting to BBC reports of leaked documents suggesting the UAE planned to exploit its role organising the climate conference to strike fossil fuel deals, Figueres said if true the claims would mark a "serious breach of the responsibility of the COP presidency". For more on COP28 and the on-going controversy, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen is joined by Dr. Chloe Brimicombe, Climate Scientist and Extreme Heat Researcher at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz.