Dubai, 9 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) — Reports of a letter from the OPEC club of oil producing countries sparked outrage among many at the United Nations climate conference in Dubai on Saturday.

The letter, signed by OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghais, reportedly calls for OPEC members to block ambitious resolutions on phasing out fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas at the conference.

The leaked letter was reported by The Guardian newspaper and other news outlets, but dpa could not independently verify its authenticity. OPEC officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"It seems that the undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point with irreversible consequences," al-Ghais reportedly wrote in the letter.

The leaked letter urges OPEC states and others to "proactively" reject any proposal that targets fossil fuels, rather than just the emissions. The letter warns that decisions to phase out oil and gas "put our people's prosperity and future at risk."

Sources from one delegation at the conference told dpa that the reported letter is genuine.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Kuwait, Venezuela and Nigeria, among other major oil producers.

French Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher expressed her astonishment at the letter and wrote on social media that she is still counting on the conference's final joint resolution from nearly 200 countries to explicitly mention the phase-out of fossil fuels.

"Climate change kills. The most vulnerable countries are the first victims. We must act," she said.