The world’s biggest climate summit has been embroiled in a hypocritical scandal days before key talks begin.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) planned to use its position as host country at the upcoming UN COP28 climate talks to discuss oil and gas deals with more than a dozen countries, leaked documents published by the BBC have revealed.
Briefing notes prepared by the UAE’s COP28 team for meetings with foreign governments during the summit, which begins Thursday in Dubai, include talking points from the UAE’s state-owned oil and renewable energy companies, according to documents released Monday by The Climate Reporting Center.
Germany, for example, should be told that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) — whose CEO Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber is president of COP28 — “stand[s] ready to expand LNG supplies to Germany.”
China’s briefing notes said ADNOC was “willing to jointly assess international LNG opportunities (Mozambique, Canada and Australia)”.
They also suggest telling oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Venezuela that “there is no conflict between the sustainable development of any country’s natural resources and its commitment to climate change.”
With COP28 just days away, leaked documents have cast a shadow over the start of the crucial forum.
Zakia Khattab, Belgium’s climate minister, told POLITICO: “If confirmed, this news adds to existing concerns about the COP28 presidency. Trust in the UN climate talks is essential and is at stake here.”
The documents also sparked outrage from climate NGOs.
In a statement, Greenpeace political coordinator Kaisa Kossonen said that “if the allegations are true, this is completely unacceptable and a real scandal.”
“The leader of the climate summit must focus on impartially achieving climate solutions, not on backroom deals that fuel the crisis,” Kossonen said.
“The significant representation of the EU and European countries on this list is worrying and directly contradicts the EU’s position to achieve fossil fuel phasing out at this year’s COP,” said Chiara Martinelli, director of Climate Action Network Europe, in a written statement to POLITICO.
“Any deal with the UAE oil and gas companies is a slap in the face of the UN climate change process,” Martinelli added.
The documents also include assessments of ADNOC’s commercial interests in the target countries, as well as outlines of energy infrastructure projects led by Masdar, the UAE’s state-owned renewable energy company.
ADNOC’s business ties with China, for example, were valued at $15 billion in the past year, while those with the United Kingdom were worth $4 billion and the Netherlands at $2 billion.
Each year the host country of the COP appoints a president to lead the negotiations between the countries. The president is meeting with foreign dignitaries and is expected to “raise[e] ambition to tackle climate change internationally,” according to the UN
Home to some of the world’s largest oil reserves, the UAE has drawn criticism for appointing Al Jaber as COP president despite his role as head of the country’s national oil company. Al Jaber is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Renewable Energy Company.
In a statement, a COP28 spokesperson said: “The documents referred to in the BBC article are inaccurate and have not been used by COP28 at meetings. It is extremely disappointing to see the BBC using unverified documents in its reporting.”
This article has been updated to clarify Ahmed al-Jaber’s role in the national renewable energy company and to add comments from COP28 and Greenpeace.
Barbara Moens contributed to this report.
