Sultan al-Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, who also heads one of the country's state oil companies, told senior officials from Europe, Canada and China gathered in Brussels that record-breaking heat seen in parts of the world recently shows the need for urgent action to curb emissions.
Scientists say achieving this target requires halving global emissions by 2030 and current efforts are far off track. Many have expressed skepticism that technological solutions touted by the fossil fuel industry and some governments can deliver the reductions necessary to meet that goal in the near term.
The European Union's top climate official, Frans Timmermans, warned that more public and private funds are still spent on fossil fuels than on preventing and adapting to climate change.