watch nowDUBAI, United Arab Emirates —The chief executive of UAE-based energy firm Crescent Petroleum on Tuesday claimed that blaming the oil and gas industry for the climate crisis "is like blaming farmers for obesity." The burning of coal, oil and gas is by far the largest contributor to climate change, accounting for more than three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. "Blaming the producers of oil and gas for climate change is like blaming farmers for obesity. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that the announcement was "a step in the right direction" for Big Oil and showed that the fossil fuel industry was "finally starting to wake up." Others, including former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, believe that the participation of energy giants should be welcomed at events such as COP28.

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Persons: Majid Jafar, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Abu, COP28, António Guterres, Jafar, We're, Ernest Moniz Organizations: United Arab Emirates —, UAE, Petroleum, Crescent Petroleum, Crescent Petroleum Co, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, United Arab Emirates national, Expo, Bloomberg, Getty, Big Oil, U.S . Energy Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, U.N, New York