In recent weeks, grave concerns have emerged about the conflicts of interest posed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as host of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference known as COP28, as well as fears about the safety and security of participants in the deeply repressive petrostate.
It increasingly appears that the UAE, one of the world’s largest oil producers, is seeking to use the conference as a means of burnishing its image while continuing to push the expansion of fossil fuels, undermining efforts to confront the climate crisis and protect human rights.
On January 12, the UAE appointed Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber as president of COP28. He is the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and founded the state-owned renewable energy company Masdar in 2006.
The U.S. and EU envoys, John Kerry and Frans Timmermans, quickly endorsed his selection.
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