The conflict between fossil fuel and climate control could not have a more pronounced expression than the COP28 presidentship of Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, who happens to head Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which is one of the leading fossil fuel players in the world. Observers have not missed taking note of the fact that this conflict has manifested itself in the way the proceedings of the UN’s most important climate control summit have progressed.

Whistleblowers such as Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR have revealed documents suggesting that Sultan Al Jaber, sought to lobby on oil and gas deals during meetings with foreign governments about the UN climate summit. The leaked documents include more than 150 pages of briefings prepared by the COP28 team for meetings held by Al Jaber between July and October of this year. CCR pointed out that the documents offer an extraordinary insight into the private discussions between the COP president and prominent government figures attending the UN summit in Dubai, which is scheduled to run until December 12. Among the leaked documents is a plan containing ‘talking points’ around the offer by ADNOC to jointly evaluate international LNG opportunities in Mozambique, Canada and Australia.

A climate activist coalition named Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) released the results of an analysis, saying at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the COP28 summit in Dubai, signalling an unprecedented presence of some of the world’s biggest polluters.

Following the release of the report, Amnesty International said the credibility of COP has been damaged. “The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are severely restricted at this meeting but the fossil fuel lobby has been offered every opportunity to make its case. The result will be further climate chaos and human rights harms. The fossil fuel lobbyists must be resisted, now and at future meetings,” Amnesty said.

“For COP to allow in thousands of representatives of the fossil fuel industry, which is making vast profits for a wealthy few while trashing the climate for everyone, perverts the very rationale of a meeting whose purpose is to protect the climate and people from further harm. Arms dealers are not asked to peace talks, so it is warped to ask climate wreckers for their view on how to fix the damage they have caused when most of them are planning to expand production of fossil fuels, further warming our overheating world, and threatening the rights of billions of people,” it said.

Amnesty had called on Sultan Al Jaber to resign from his role as chief executive of ADNOC ahead of the COP28 summit. The organisation said it believed a fast, fair, funded and forever phase out of all fossil fuels is essential to protect human rights, and must be a priority at COP28.

“It is sadly unsurprising that a summit chaired by Sultan Al Jaber, the head of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, and who appears to question the science behind the necessity of phasing out fossil fuels, has provided a cosy environment for the industry’s lobbyists,” Amnesty said.

An expert on climate politics and academic Prof Michael Jacobs of Sheffield University has been quoted as describing the COP28 president’s actions as looking ‘breathtakingly hypocritical’. “The UAE at the moment is the custodian of a United Nations process aimed at reducing global emissions. And yet, in the very same meetings where it’s apparently trying to pursue that goal, it’s actually trying to do side deals which will increase global emissions,” he said.

The summit so far has been marked by numerous announcements by major private companies, including those engaged in energy-related activities that seek to proclaim their commitment to work for the success of climate control measures under various protocols. Numerous products of ‘sustainable’ variety have been announced by companies and service providers, who have used the summit to generate some positive publicity. These included AI climate solutions, ‘blended’ investments, sustainable sports tournaments, green construction and a host of other green products and processes.

An announcement by the UAE Banks Federation, the apex organisation of the country’s national banks, said that up to $270 billion in sustainable finance by the year 2030. The pledge was made at an event organised jointly by Central Bank of the UAE with the COP28 Presidency to support and facilitate global climate finance solutions and progress towards a sustainable future. (IPA Service)