US and EU lawmakers are calling on the UAE to remove Jaber from the UN climate roll

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More than 100 US lawmakers and members of the European parliament have called for the head of UAE state oil company Adnoc to be removed as the chairman-designate of the UN’s COP28 climate summit this year.

The United Arab Emirates, as a host country for COP28earlier this year he appointed Sultan al-Jaber to lead the climate summit to be held in Dubai from the end of November.

In a joint letter addressed to UN officials and US and European leaders, including US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, lawmakers call for the United Arab Emirates withdrawing Jaber’s appointment as oil executive risked “undermining the negotiations”.

The group, composed mainly of Democratic members of the US Congress and left-wing members of the European Parliament, expressed “deep concern” that UN rules allowed private sector polluters to exert “undue influence” on the climate summit process.

Last year’s COP summit, hosted by Egypt, ended in disappointment for climate activists and many developed and developing nations.

Countries including Saudi Arabia and Russia have blocked an effort by a broad coalition of more than 80 countries, including the US and the EU, to include a reference to phasing out all fossil fuels in the final deal of nearly 200 villages.

“It has not escaped our attention that at least 636 oil and gas industry lobbyists registered to attend last year’s COP – an increase of more than 25% from the previous year,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

“When the number of participants representing polluting corporate actors, who have a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo, is greater than delegations from almost all countries present, it is easy to see how their presence could hinder action for the climate”.

In its defense, COP28 said Jaber had a 20-year career “in the renewable energy space,” citing his role as chairman of Masdar, the state-owned renewable energy company.

As CEO of Adnoc, Jaber had been given a clear mandate to “transform, decarbonise and future-proof the company,” he said. He has also been involved in climate diplomacy for more than a decade, attending 11 COPs, including the Paris Summit, where he spearheaded the UAE’s role.

But under Jaber, ADNOC’s board also accelerated its oil production last year by anticipating expansion of its capacity to 2027 from 2030, and signed off on $150 billion in capital spending over five years through 2027. Adnoc’s capital expenditure is targeted at “low-carbon solutions.” it stood at $15 billion for the years to 2030, by comparison.

The host country of the UN climate summit has come under increasing scrutiny over the agenda and participants. This week, human rights groups criticized the UAE’s decision to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to COP28, with Amnesty International calling it a “sick joke”.

US climate envoy John Kerry has previously defended the UAE against “unfair” criticism in its role as organizer of COP28, saying it was important to bring oil-producing nations into UN climate talks.

Kerry told a British parliamentary defense committee in London on Tuesday that he was optimistic about the potential of UN talks to secure a meaningful diplomatic deal.

The US hoped negotiators could “go further than they have done before in setting the level of ambition we need for mitigation” at COP28, he said.

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