Dubai To Host COP28 Amid Global Climate Crisis, Controversy Over UAE’s Oil Interests
The 28th annual Conference of the Parties (COP28), a critical event in the global fight against climate change, is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai. This United Nations Climate Change Conference will bring together representatives from 197 countries to deliberate on effective strategies to combat the worsening environmental crisis.
The selection of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the host for COP28 has sparked controversy due to its status as one of the top 10 oil-producing nations in the world. The role of oil, a major fossil fuel alongside gas and coal, in exacerbating climate change, positions the UAE’s hosting of the conference as a contentious issue.
Leaked documents suggest that the UAE might attempt to utilize COP28 to secure deals for its natural oil and gas companies. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the conference’s host, the UAE’s climate envoy who was also the chief executive of ADNOC, the national oil company, until he recently resigned from that position, finds himself at the center of this controversy. His dual role raises questions about a potential conflict of interest, given the conference’s primary objective.
Despite these concerns, the main goal of COP28 remains steadfast: to maintain the global commitment to limiting the long-term increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Achieving this target is reliant on a collective global shift away from fossil fuels and towards the adoption of clean, renewable energy sources.
