The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities has appointed Sultan Al-Jaber to be the president of the Cop28 local weather talks in November.
Al Jaber heads the state-owned Abu Dhabi Nationwide Oil Firm (Adnoc), the twelfth largest oil firm on the planet, and the emirates’ a lot smaller renewable vitality agency Masdar.
He has been a key determine in nationwide local weather and vitality coverage for over a decade. Whereas Al Jaber has promoted renewable vitality, in November 2021 he known as for elevated international funding in oil and gasoline.
“The oil and gas industry will have to invest over $600bn every year until 2030 just to keep up with the expected demand,” he instructed an Abu Dhabi oil convention.
“Renewable energy is the fastest growing segment of the energy mix but oil and gas is still the biggest and will be for decades to come. The future is clean but it is not here yet. We must make progress with pragmatism,” he mentioned.
Evaluation: UAE plans to have it each methods as Cop28 local weather summit host
The Worldwide Power Company (IEA) mentioned in 2021 that, if the world is to restrict international warming to 1.5C then there must be no funding in new fossil fuels. They calculated that the availability of oil ought to drop by three-quarters between 2020 and 2050.
In October 2022, the IEA projected that even underneath current insurance policies, international fossil gas demand would peak and decline steadily from the mid‐2020s.
Blended reception
Response to Al Jaber’s appointment was blended. The pinnacle of the Local weather Motion Community marketing campaign group, Tasneem Essop, mentioned it was a battle of curiosity to guide local weather talks similtaneously heading an oil firm.
She mentioned: “If he does not step down as CEO, it will be tantamount to a full scale capture of the UN climate talks by a petrostate national oil company and its associated fossil fuel lobbyists. Cop26 in Glasgow had 500 fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance, the Cop [27] in Egypt saw a 25% increase in their presence, Cop28 now seems to be open season for vested interests who will no doubt use the climate talks to continue to undermine any progress on climate action. As civil society we demand that Al Jaber does the right thing and either stand aside or step down.”
The final hours of Cop27 have been marked by fierce debate, in closed conferences, on whether or not governments ought to conform to “phase out fossil fuels”. Oil and gasoline producing states like Saudi Arabia opposed this language, however the argument will not be going away.
Yvo De Boer, who led the UN’s local weather physique between 2006 and 2010, mentioned that Al Jaber had been “instrumental” in bringing the Worldwide Renewable Power Company to the UAE and adopting “a sound green growth strategy” with renewable investments domestically and overseas.
“This equips him with the understanding, experience and responsibility to make Cop28 ambitious, innovative and future focussed,” De Boer mentioned.
In 2010, the US ambassador to UAE Richard Olson described him as a part of the “progressive group” on local weather within the UAE authorities.
One other man
Al Jaber would be the twenty third man to guide the Cop local weather talks. 5 girls have had the presidency function.
The UAE’s feminine atmosphere minister Mariam Al Mheiri was missed.
Equally, Egypt promoted the male overseas minister Sameh Shoukry over feminine atmosphere minister and local weather scientist Yasmine Fouad.
The UK sacked feminine clear progress minister Claire Perry O’Neill, who lobbied to host Cop26, earlier than the convention and put male vitality minister Alok Sharma in cost.
After two tenures because the Particular Envoy for Local weather Change, HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber will function the COP28 President-Designate.
➡️ HE Razan Al Mubarak, UN Local weather Change Excessive Stage Champion
➡️ HE Shamma Al Mazrui, Youth Local weather Championhttps://t.co/niER5Y7SBZ #COP28UAE pic.twitter.com/QahDgUfhjb
— Workplace Of The UAE Particular Envoy For Local weather Change (@uaeclimateenvoy) January 12, 2023
Two girls have been appointed to supporting roles. Razan Al Mubarak, one of many UAE’s main nature conservationists, has been made “high level champion” and tasked with growing the local weather ambition of companies and non-state actors.
Shamma Al Mazrui, aged 29, will likely be youth local weather champion.
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