Venezuela Defends Oil Growth at UN Climate Summit

Venezuela insists it has the full right to grow its oil industry while taking part in the COP31 climate conference in Turkiye. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez stated on Thursday that developing energy resources drives national growth and that economic expansion can happen alongside environmental protection. She pointed out that Venezuelan forests act as a planet lung by absorbing more carbon than the nation emits, though she did not mention the emissions caused by exported oil. Her message conflicts with goals pushed by other leaders at the UN talks to move away from fossil fuels. Instead, her stance aligns with United States efforts to raise billions of dollars to boost oil output in Venezuela, an OPEC member. U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that investing in Venezuelan oil helps national security by increasing energy supplies in the Western Hemisphere. Other leaders at the summit voiced a different view. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned that energy disruptions from conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine prove that countries must switch to clean energy to control prices and ensure security.

Context

COP31 brings together representatives from nearly 200 countries for a two-week meeting to speed up climate action. A recent UN report warns that the world is on track to pass the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit set in the 2015 Paris Agreement.