At the start of the climate summit in Dubai, COP28 President Ahmed al-Jaber denied using the major political event for his country’s oil interests. Corresponding reports are “not true”.
The President of the 28th World Climate Conference, Sultan Amed al-Jaber, has rejected allegations of oil deals in connection with the international summit. “These accusations are false. Not true, incorrect, not accurate,” al-Jaber told reporters in Dubai. According to reports from the British broadcaster BBC and the Center for Climate Reporting (CCR) network, al-Jaber is said to have advocated for his country’s oil exports in meetings with business and government representatives in recent months. The 50-year-old heads the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state oil company Adnoc.
Al-Jaber described the allegations as an attempt to damage the work of COP28 and added: “Do you think that the UAE or myself need the COP or the COP Presidency to build better business or trade relations?” The UAE itself is capable of building relationships and partnerships. “Every meeting I’ve had with a government or other stakeholder has always been about one thing: my COP28 agenda and how we can, for the first time, take a collective stance that focuses on implementation and that Action focused on keeping 1.5°C within reach,” BBC quoted al-Jaber as saying.
A spokesman for the broadcaster emphasized that the reports had been “strictly researched according to the highest editorial standards”. Whistleblowers had leaked internal meeting minutes and emails to the BBC and the partner network. They are intended to prove that al-Jaber and his COP28 team have advocated for fossil energy projects in almost 30 countries. Oil agreements were planned with at least 15 countries. Representatives from Germany, the USA, France and Great Britain are also said to have taken part in the meetings. ()
Al-Jaber activists disappointed
Activists reacted dissatisfied to al-Jaber’s statement. Alice Harrison, head of the fossil fuel campaign at Global Witness, told the Guardian: “The international climate process has been hijacked by the oil and gas industry. This leak must be the final nail in the coffin of the long-debunked idea that the fossil fuel industry can play some role in solving the crisis of its own making.”
The consequences of global warming are already hard to ignore. According to current information, the earth could warm up by up to three degrees by the end of the century. The aim of the 28th Climate Conference is to prevent this so that the 1.5 degree target agreed in Paris in 2015 can be met.
The head of the UN Climate Secretariat UNFCCC, Simon Stiell, called for a complete move away from fossil fuels in the opening session: “If we do not commit to the final farewell to the era of fossil fuels with which we are familiar, we are calling for our own final demise .” Almost 100,000 representatives from states, companies and international organizations are expected in Dubai for the summit.
Sources: ““, , with material from DPA and AFP
Source: Stern
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