The United Arab Emirates, of all people, have appointed the head of the Abu Dhabi oil company as President of the next UN climate conference COP 28 in Dubai. For environmental organizations, this is an affront.
First an oil boss, now a climate rescuer: Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi oil company, is to chair the COP 28 climate conference.
Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber is a busy man. The 49-year-old is head of the Abu Dhabi oil company, runs the energy company Masdar and also sits in the government of the United Arab Emirates as Minister for Industry and Future Technology. Now the manager and politician has another job: as the top climate rescuer, he is to lead the UN climate conference COP 28, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai in November.
Jaber, who has been the Emirates’ climate delegate for years and has experience in organizing major events, seems the logical choice for the post for those in power in Abu Dhabi. The office of the new COP President announced that a realistic, pragmatic and solution-oriented approach to the conference would be taken. “We will always act together and get everyone involved on board.”
Influential representative of the oil industry
However, the fact that the sometimes difficult task of swearing in even recalcitrant members of the world community to common climate goals now falls to Jaber of all people is polarizing. Because the chemist and business economist, who studied in the USA and Great Britain, is the first CEO to head the COP and one of the most influential representatives of the oil industry worldwide.
Abu Dhabi Oil Company (Adnoc), led by Jaber, is the world’s 12th largest oil producer and hails from a country that depends on oil and gas for a third of its gross domestic product. The fact that this man is now supposed to become a climate rescuer is an affront to critics. “You wouldn’t look after an arms dealer with a peace conference,” said Alice Harrison of the environmental NGO Global Witness. “Then why are oil producers allowed to hold climate talks?”
Environmental organizations are also bothered by the fact that the next COP conference is to take place in Dubai of all places. The desert city is still largely dependent on fossil fuels. Even if Dubai hardly exports its own oil anymore, life in the Gulf metropolis would hardly be possible without energy-guzzling life support systems such as seawater desalination and air conditioning.
$15 billion for sustainability
The Emirates don’t want to let the criticism sit on them. They repeatedly emphasize that their country is making great progress in terms of climate neutrality. Just a few days ago, Adnoc, managed by Jaber, announced that it would invest 15 billion dollars in sustainable and green technologies in the future. The new COP boss also reports to Masdar – a company that specializes in environmentally friendly energies.
All Gulf States invest a lot of money in renewable energies. However, the motivation behind it is anything but selfless. The petrostates, currently making big money from global energy shortages, know their fuel reserves are not endless. In addition, the countries on the Arabian Peninsula, where life is already unbearable in the summer, will be among the first to suffer from global warming.
Energy transition not at the push of a button
At the same time, oil and gas monarchies must continue to export fossil fuels to survive. In addition, many of the major green projects are proving to be difficult to implement. Like the eco-city Masdar City to the east of Abu Dhabi, which was once heralded as a vision of the future. Actually, the emission-free pedestrian city should have been completed in 2016. Instead, the project was downgraded to an environmental campus.
Many observers hope that the influential Jaber can act as a skillful mediator. In any case, at the COP 27 last November in Sharm al-Sheikh, he proved that he can at least master the balancing act between oil producer and climate delegate. The energy turnaround cannot be achieved by pressing a button, he said at the time: “It’s not about fossil energies versus solar energy, wind, nuclear or hydrogen. We need all of it.”