A leaked letter from OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais has urged member countries to oppose any agreements made at the U.N. climate conference that focus on limiting fossil fuels instead of emissions.

On Wednesday, the leader of OPEC mentioned in a letter that at the 28th U.N. climate conference in Dubai, there was a discussion about a proposed plan for addressing climate change. They expressed concern that the increasing pressure against fossil fuels could potentially have irreversible effects.

The message further states, “I urge all OPEC Member Countries and Non-OPEC Countries participating in the CoC and their delegations in the COP 28 negotiations to actively reject any language or equation that focuses on energy, specifically fossil fuels, rather than emissions.”

On Friday, various news outlets such as Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and Bloomburg reported the contents of the letter. These organizations confirmed that the letter was genuine. OPEC declined to provide a comment when requested.

The updates are being released as talks between 197 nations for a final agreement at the climate summit are currently in progress, with a deadline of Tuesday set for the conference to conclude.

The topic of discussion at COP28, which began last week, has been fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged for their usage to come to an end.

More than 80 nations are advocating for a COP28 agreement that includes a plan to eventually phase out the use of fossil fuels. This comes as scientists push for bold measures to prevent the severe consequences of climate change.

The main objective is to achieve the 2015 Paris climate agreement target of limiting the rise in global temperatures this century to below 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.

During the plenary session of the climate summit on Friday, COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, representing the United Arab Emirates as the host nation and a member of OPEC, reiterated the inevitability and importance of transitioning away from fossil fuels. However, he emphasized the need for a well-planned and responsible approach to this energy shift.

The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse provided some data for this report.