An investigation finds the Emirati president of the talks, who can be an oil government, is utilizing his function to push fossil gasoline offers.
The Emirati president of the United Nations local weather convention in Dubai has denied experiences that he has used his function on the negotiations to pursue fossil gasoline offers.
A day earlier than the talks are resulting from start on Thursday, Sultan al-Jaber, who is also the CEO of the state-run Abu Dhabi Nationwide Oil Co (Adnoc), rejected allegations made in a joint investigation by the Centre for Local weather Reporting (CCR) and the BBC.
“These allegations are false, not true, incorrect and not accurate,” Jaber informed reporters on Wednesday forward of the talks, which can draw world leaders and tens of 1000’s of delegates to Dubai over the subsequent two weeks.
“It’s an attempt to undermine the work of the COP28 presidency. Let me ask you a question: Do you think the UAE or myself will need the COP or the COP presidency to go and establish business deals or commercial relationships?”
Leaked paperwork present that al-Jaber deliberate to debate fossil gasoline offers in bilateral conferences on the local weather summit, the CCR mentioned.
In line with the non-profit investigative journalism group, the paperwork embrace greater than 150 pages of briefings ready by COP28 workers from July to October and obtained by the CCR and the BBC from an nameless whistle-blower.
The paperwork point out Jaber deliberate to debate business pursuits with nearly 30 international locations, in response to CCR.
The briefing notes, detailed in experiences printed on Monday, signalled Adnoc’s willingness to work with international locations together with China, Germany and Egypt to develop oil and gasoline tasks.
The CCR mentioned that alongside the briefings, it has additionally seen emails and assembly data “which raise serious questions about the COP28 team’s independence from Adnoc”.
“Please, for once, respect who we are, respect what we have achieved over the years and respect the fact that we have been clear, open and clean and honest and transparent on how we want to conduct this COP process,” al-Jaber mentioned.
Contested presidency
Former United States Vice President Al Gore, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning for local weather motion, mentioned the allegations “have confirmed some of the worst fears” round al-Jaber whereas former UN local weather chief Christiana Figueres mentioned the COP28 host had been caught “red-handed”.
“The global community’s gaze is fixed upon these leaders, expecting them to embody the very essence of integrity, untainted by bias and national or personal gain,” mentioned Tasneem Essop, government director of Local weather Motion Community Worldwide.
“Any deviation from this path represents a betrayal of the trust placed in them by the world and a failure in their duty to future generations,” she wrote on X.
Al-Jaber, a 50-year-old longtime local weather envoy, is a trusted confidant of the chief of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He’s been behind tens of billions of {dollars} spent or pledged in direction of renewable power within the UAE.
He has weathered different controversies over alleged battle of curiosity since being appointed COP28 president this yr, together with calls from US and European lawmakers for his alternative.
Supporters, together with US local weather envoy John Kerry, mentioned al-Jaber is uniquely positioned to dealer compromise on the COP28 talks, the place world leaders shall be confronted by their lack of progress in curbing international warming in a record-breaking sizzling yr.
Reining in the usage of fossil fuels and carbon emissions are anticipated to high the agenda of the 13-day summit, which runs from Thursday till December 12. Worldwide funding to assist international locations adapt to local weather change can even be hotly debated as growing international locations have been demanding extra contributions from industrialised nations.
An bold loss and damages fund agreed final yr to assist poorer nations to assist handle the damaging results of local weather change can be going to be one of many primary points coated within the negotiations. World leaders agreed to the fund at COP27 final yr, however they’ve failed to achieve consensus on a very powerful questions of all – which states can pay into it and the way a lot.
