Over 130 American and European lawmakers are urging the removal of ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber as the president of the upcoming COP28 climate talks. In a joint letter addressed to the United Nations, European Commission President, and US President Joe Biden, the lawmakers have expressed concerns about the influence of fossil fuel companies on the negotiations.
The appointment of Al Jaber, group CEO of ADNOC, as the COP28 chief has been controversial since its very announcement.
But why are lawmakers calling for Al-Jaber’s removal as COP 28 head?
“The decision to name as president of COP28 the chief executive of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies — a company that has recently announced plans to add 7.6 billion barrels of oil to its production in the coming years, representing the fifth largest increase in the world—risks undermining the negotiations,” they wrote.
As per them, the talks stand the risk of getting “severely jeopardised by having an oil company executive at the helm”.
Al-Jaber’s office responded to the letter by pointing to his experience attending 11 past UN climate conferences, his pledge to shift ADNOC’s business away from fossil fuels and his role in founding Masdar, a renewable energy company.
“We believe that Dr Sultan’s experience as an engineer, working across the energy spectrum, coupled with his experience as a senior global industry leader, are assets that will help drive the UAE’s transformative approach to COP28,” it said.
EU and US leaders have so far backed Al Jaber’s appointment and a COP spokesperson has defended him, noting his “20-year career and experience as an engineer, working across the energy spectrum.”
US climate envoy John Kerry has in the past described al-Jaber as a “terrific choice” to chair the talks.
