Can this work well if the head of an oil company organizes and leads the most important climate meeting in the world? Environmental activists and some politicians could hardly imagine that such a person would act without self-interest. Maybe they were right.
The 28th World Climate Conference should be a “key moment”, a “milestone” in the fight against climate change. The major political event is advertised on the conference website. How the global community can reduce emissions and temperatures – that’s what Dubai is actually supposed to be about. But in the end, the international meeting could turn into a billion-dollar profit business for the United Arab Emirates; more specifically for the state oil company Adnoc and the energy company Masdar.
The course for this has at least been set. This is shown by leaked documents that the Center for Climate Reporting (CCR) network evaluated and examined together with the British broadcaster BBC. Accordingly, COP28 President Ahmed Al Jaber and his team are said to have organized meetings with international government and business representatives in recent months in order to consolidate his country’s (oil) interests before the climate conference.
The climate representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also the boss of the state oil company Adnoc. And is scheduled to chair this year’s climate conference from November 30th to December 12th. That’s not possible, say Greenpeace and several EU and US parliamentarians. Environmental activists and government officials fear for the credibility of the gathering. Critics of Al Jaber should now feel vindicated.
Al Jaber has so far calmly rejected all allegations. Among other things, because he founded a state-owned renewable energy company in 2006. But, Al Jaber also made this clear, the interests of the fossil fuel industry also belonged on the table at the climate conference.
COP28 President promotes fossil energy projects abroad
The COP28 President made the first attempt in recent months. In preparation for the climate conference, Al Jaber and his team organized several meetings with government and business representatives from almost 30 countries from July to October. The leaked documents, which whistleblowers leaked to CCR and the BBC, show that the talks were, among other things, about increasing exports from the state-owned company Adnoc. However, it is unclear in how many cases the economic interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were even addressed. However, the UAE is said to have planned oil agreements with at least 15 countries, according to CCR.
When asked by journalists, more than a dozen countries did not respond at all. Others said the economic interests described in the briefings were never addressed, while a minority denied the meetings altogether. The UAE did not deny this, but emphasized that the discussions took place privately, the BBC reports.
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As president of the World Climate Conference, Al Jaber would have to motivate the members of the assembly to move away from fossil fuels. Instead, he offers himself and his oil company support for fossil energy projects in various countries – including Germany, the USA, Colombia, France, Canada and Kenya.
Kenya is to supply Adnoc with diesel and fuel for aircraft and Azerbaijan wants to support the UAE on its way to becoming a reliable gas supplier for Europe, according to briefings verified by CRR and BBC. The UAE also wants to work more closely with China. The Emirati oil company Adnoc is “willing” to work with Beijing on projects for the use of liquid gas in Mozambique, Canada and Australia, among othersto be examined, according to a meeting minutes.
Al Jaber and his team are also said to have used the UN General Assembly in New York in September to represent their interests. There the delegates met, among others, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Prince William and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
According to internal emails, the COP28 team was also encouraged to include Adnoc’s interests in all international discussions. According to the research, the summit team asked the company for topics of discussion that were easily included in the briefings. The same applies to the renewable energy company Masdar. The COP28 team is also a lobby for him, the reports say.
A spokesman for the climate conference rejected the allegations and stressed that the meetings were confidential: “Dr. Sultan holds a number of positions in addition to the presidency of COP28. This is public knowledge. Private meetings are private and we will not comment on them. “
Climate conference team works in the building of an oil company
A spokesman for the COP28 conference described the documents as “incorrect” and said they were “not used by the COP28 leadership during its meetings.” It is “extremely disappointing” that the BBC is relying on “unverified documents”. A spokesman for the COP28 team reiterated to CCR that “the staff (…) are separate from all other units” and that the “presidency’s operations are completely independent and autonomous.”
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change requires the President of the Conference to be impartial. He is expected to act impartially, without prejudice or self-interest. The leaked meeting minutes and emails suggest the opposite.
Several whistleblowers accuse Al Jaber employees of working in the building of the oil company Adnoc. In January, there were several reports that Al Jaber and his team organized the conference at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi. A COP28 spokesperson acknowledged this when contacted by CCR, but acknowledged that the team was still being set up at this point and that staff were located in different locations. Until employees can move into their own offices, there are clear guidelines so that “the team can work completely independently of the facilities in which they are currently sitting.”
The organizational group has now moved – but whistleblowers claim to have continued to observe regular meetings in Adnoc’s main building. Confronted with the allegations, a spokesperson said: “The COP28 Presidency has consistently taken the position that it makes no sense to exclude the people who know the most about the current energy system from discussions about the energy transition.” He expressed confidence that strong results could be achieved in Dubai.
Fossil energy topic at the climate conference
Members and critics are right to fear that the credibility of the climate conference could suffer massively under the current circumstances. Several of the projects mentioned in the briefings are said to be new oil and gas developments, according to CCR and BBC reports. However, energy experts and climate researchers agree that such projects must be stopped in order to achieve the 1.5 degree target.
The future use of fossil fuels will play a central role at the world climate conference in Dubai. Among other things, it should be about how damage and losses that have already occurred due to climate change can be financed and managed, especially in affected developing countries.
Sources: ““, with material from DPA and AFP
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
