Is Outcome Possible... Controversy Over Climate Summit Held in 'Oil Exporter' UAE

Held in Dubai from the 30th of this month to the 12th of next month
First Middle East signatory of the Paris Agreement,
but plans to increase crude oil production until 2027
Biden's absence and oil trade controversy just before the meeting

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) is drawing attention as it is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), a traditional oil-exporting country in the Middle East, from the 30th (local time) until the 12th of next month. The fact that the conference discussing climate change issues is taking place in the UAE, and that the chairperson of COP28 is the CEO of an oil company, has raised concerns about whether relevant discussions and final outcomes can be effectively achieved.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 29th, a day before the event, that "this oil kingdom (UAE) aims to start COP28 by surprising climate activists." The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also covered the event with significance, stating, "Welcome to COP28, the UN climate conference hosted by an oil superpower," highlighting the importance of the meeting being held in the UAE.

COP is an annual conference led by the United Nations (UN) involving over 200 countries to address climate change issues. The first meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, in 1995, and the conference has continued annually, marking its 28th year this year. Based on this, the current conference is named COP28. This year’s summit is expected to be the largest ever, with over 70,000 attendees.

At COP28, world leaders will review the progress made toward achieving the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting the global temperature increase to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Discussions are also expected on climate finance, where wealthy countries provide funding to help poorer nations respond to climate change.

There is an ironic assessment that such discussions are taking place in the oil powerhouse UAE.

The UAE was the first country in the Middle East to sign and ratify the 2015 Paris Agreement and pledged to reduce emissions in line with the agreement. However, the UAE’s state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced last year plans to increase daily oil production from 4 million barrels in 2020 to 5 million barrels by 2027, showing conflicting actions.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Climate Action Tracker, an international research organization, pointed out that if the UAE expands oil production as planned, it will be impossible to meet its carbon dioxide emission reduction targets.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
[Photo by Getty Images, Yonhap News]

At the same time, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of ADNOC and chairman of Masdar, a UAE renewable energy company, as well as Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, has been appointed chair of COP28.

According to the Washington Post (WP), the UN has rotated the COP meetings annually among five regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe. This year, the conference was originally supposed to be held in the Asia-Pacific region, but the UAE bid in 2021 and became the chair country without opposition.

WP explained, "The chair country plays a key role in bringing together delegations from about 200 countries to agree on a consensus document," adding, "In past conferences, when successful outcomes were achieved, the chair country usually spent at least a year preparing negotiations, meeting major world leaders, and coordinating differences of opinion."

Foreign media report that the UAE hosted the conference to attract the largest crowd ever to Dubai and gain economic benefits.

On the 27th, ahead of the event, investigative media Climate Crisis Report (CCR) and BBC revealed briefing materials used by Minister Al Jaber during meetings with officials from various countries between July and October this year, alleging that "he attempted to lobby for oil and gas trade in meetings related to the summit." This criticism points out that while hosting a global conference addressing climate change, the UAE was simultaneously engaged in oil trading behind the scenes.

In response, the UAE stated that the documents used in the reports were inaccurate and were not used in meetings related to COP28, expressing regret that the BBC used unverified materials.

Meanwhile, there are concerns that attention to climate change issues is waning due to economic issues such as high inflation and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, leading to reduced focus on COP28. This criticism gained traction especially as U.S. President Joe Biden, who attended the conference for two consecutive years until last year, will not participate this time. Pope Francis, who was originally scheduled to attend, also canceled his plans due to health reasons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.