Hundreds of climate and environmental groups from around the world published a letter on Thursday that he condemned the nomination of an oil executive to oversee United Nations climate negotiations at COP28 this year.
Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates, host of the UN climate talks this year, appointed Sultan al-Jaber to the presidency of the conference from November 30 to December 12. The company he runs as chief executive, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., produces 4 million barrels of crude oil a day and hopes to expand to 5 million a day by the end. of the decade.
The revenue generated from the sale of that oil is critical to the economic health of the United Arab Emirates, which is among the world’s top 10 oil producers.. And burning that oil creates carbon dioxide emissions as the climate crisis worsens.
Activists said the selection of al-Jaber “threatens the legitimacy and effectiveness” of the conference. “There is no honor in appointing a fossil fuel executive who profits greatly by fueling the climate crisis to oversee the global response to climate change,” the letter to UN officials said.
The letter goes on to say that the appointment of an oil executive to oversee climate talks exemplifies the influence fossil fuel companies have over international climate policy.
Some of the world’s largest environmental and climate action groups, including 350.org, Friends of the Earth International and Greenpeace, signed the letter, along with five of the nine coalitions of non-governmental organizations representing different sectors of the population. world climate talks.
The groups said the leadership of climate talks must be free from the influence of fossil fuels. In addition, they demanded that fossil fuel companies be excluded from sponsorships, partnerships and rule-making processes at the conference and that it must focus on those most affected by climate change in negotiations and solutions.
Prior to the letter, several others had weighed in on al-Jaber’s nomination. John Kerry, the US climate envoy, endorsed the nomination in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press. Former US vice president and climate leader Al Gore criticized the selection by al-Jaber during the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this month.
Activists from the youth climate action group Fridays for Future also expressed their discontent. with the move while in Davos.
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Follow Drew Costley on Twitter: @drewcostley.
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