Leaked docs show UAE planned to use COP28 to talk fossil fuel deals: report

Are oil and gas exporters planning to use this week’s United Nations climate conference, COP28, to negotiate fossil fuel sales? That’s what European lawmakers and climate activists claim following reports of leaked documents from the leaders of COP28, which said the United Arab Emirates strategically positioned itself as the climate summit host to lobby for oil and gas deals.

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According to the Center for Climate Reporting (CCR), leaked records show COP28’s president, Sultan al-Jaber, had plans to talk fossil fuel deals with 15 countries at the conference; al-Jaber also happens to be CEO of the world’s 12th largest oil company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

The report comes amid repeated and widespread criticism of al-Jaber’s appointment to head up the event.

“We and the United Arab Emirates take this task of hosting COP28 with humility with a deep sense of responsibility, and we also understand and fully appreciate how urgent this matter is,” al-Jaber said in June.

The CCR report, which was done in collaboration with the BBC, includes what are said to be briefing notes for meetings between the UAE and 27 other countries ahead of Thursday’s conference, Nov. 30. The notes included talking points for al-Jaber, such as telling China that it is “willing to jointly elevate international LNG (liquified natural gas) opportunities” in countries like Canada and Australia.

The notes also reportedly show that al-Jaber was set to tell Colombian officials that ADNOC is ready to support that nation’s development of fossil fuel resources, along with talking points for more than a dozen other countries, including Germany and Egypt.

The controversy is heating up as United Nations climate scientists warn drastic action is needed to combat climate change, and the window for that action is rapidly closing.

A spokesperson for COP28 said the published notes are inaccurate and that it is “extremely disappointing” to see unverified documents being reported. The BBC reported that the UAE did not dispute the report’s accuracy and said “private meetings are private.”

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