An Oil Exec Running COP? This Isn't a Joke
The UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber has green credentials but also a commitment to pumping more oil. It’s a recipe for controversy and slow action.
UAE's Minister of State and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Sultan ahmed al-Jaber speaks during the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) in Abu Dhabi on November 11, 2019.
Photographer: AFP/Getty Images
Greta Thunberg once summed up world leaders’ empty climate promises with the words “Blah blah blah.” After the appointment of an oil executive as president of COP28, they will ring true to many climate advocates all over again.
The United Arab Emirates, host of the United Nations climate summit this year, has named Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s minister of industry and technology, as COP28 president. Al Jaber is also the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), the world’s 12th-largest oil company by production, and chairman of Masdar, the UAE’s state-owned renewable energy company.