Amnesty International’s Programme Director for Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability, Marta Schaaf has accused Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of ADNOC, one of the biggest producers of oil and gas in the world, of intending to boost the company’s fossil fuel output and as such unfit to lead COP28 climate talks.
Schaaf stated this in response to ADNOC Drilling’s announcement of record profits and plans to aid in expanding fossil fuel production on Monday. ADNOC Drilling is a subsidiary of the state oil company of the United Arab Emirates, and its chief executive, Al Jaber is scheduled to preside over the COP28 climate conference in Dubai this year.
However, Schaaf has said that Al-Jaber cannot be an honest broker for climate talks when the company he leads is planning to cause more climate damage, adding that despite Al-Jaber’s denials, it was obvious that his dual role was a glaring conflict of interest which would contribute to further climate disaster and unfolding human rights violations.
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“Since he was announced as COP28 president-designate last month, Sultan Al-Jaber has said that climate concerns should never compromise economic growth,”he said. “He has described natural gas – a core part of ADNOC’s expansion plans whose main ingredient is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide – as a critical component in the transition to sustainable energy”.
Schaaf said that following reports that some ADNOC staff have been seconded to the COP28 organizing team, the expansion plans will heighten concerns that this crucial climate conference is being hijacked by the state oil company and will serve wider fossil fuel interests.
“We reiterate our call for Sultan al-Jaber to resign from the state oil company and for the UAE’s COP28 leadership team to include the phasing out of fossil fuels among its priorities for the conference,” said Schaaf.
Story was adapted from Amnesty International.
