Ahead of COP28 the UEA’s hypocritical and cynical behaviour has been exposed in leaked documents obtained by the BBC. The papers revealed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) planned to use its role as the host of UN climate talks as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals, the BBC has learned. The briefing documents revealed plans to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 nations.
Hosts are expected to act without bias or self-interest the UN body responsible for the COP28 summit says. The claim has not been denied by the UEA team but stated that: “private meetings are private”.
The documents – obtained by independent journalists at the Centre for Climate Reporting working alongside the BBC – were prepared by the UAE’s COP28 team for meetings with at least 27 foreign governments ahead of the COP28 summit, which starts on 30 November. They included proposed “talking points”, such as one for China which says Adnoc, the UAE’s state oil company, is “willing to jointly evaluate international LNG [liquefied natural gas] opportunities” in Mozambique, Canada and Australia.
The documents suggest telling a Colombian minister that Adnoc “stands ready” to support Colombia to develop its fossil fuel resources.
There are talking points for 13 other countries, including Germany and Egypt, which suggest telling them Adnoc wants to work with their governments to develop fossil fuel projects. Prof Michael Jacobs of Sheffield University, who is an expert on UN climate politics, told the BBC the COP28 team’s actions looked “breathtakingly hypocritical”.
“I actually think it’s worse than that,” he said, “because the UAE at the moment is the custodian of a United Nations process aimed at reducing global emissions. And yet, in the very same meetings where it’s apparently trying to pursue that goal, it’s actually trying to do side deals which will increase global emissions.”
Kaisa Kosonen, Policy Coordinator at Greenpeace International said: “If the allegations are true, this is totally unacceptable and a real scandal. The climate summit leader should be focused on advancing climate solutions impartially, not backroom deals that are fuelling the crisis. This is exactly the kind of conflict of interest we feared when the CEO of an oil company was appointed to the role.
“If the Presidency wants to claw back credibility it can only do so through actions. That means brokering a global agreement for a just and equitable phase out of all fossil fuels, in alignment with science, and making polluters pay for the loss and damage they’ve caused to communities. This would make this COP28 truly historic and is what the world is anxiously
waiting for. …”
You can read the full story on the BBC news website.
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