“Corporate hijacking”: US and EU lawmakers call for removal of UAE Sultan as COP28 president

22 Jun 2023 --- At the Bonn Climate Change Conference in Germany, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took a step forward in addressing polluter interference in climate talks, which public-interest civil society groups and rightsholder constituencies call an overdue victory.

Action group Kick Big Polluters Out, composed of over 450 endorsers, says that although the first-ever set of requirements for all participants in UNFCCC processes to disclose their affiliation prior to participation is welcome, “it’s simply not enough.”

Packaging Insights delves into how the influence of petrochemicals and oil firms on climate talks could impact the plastic and packaging industry. We speak to Davide Sabbadin, deputy climate manager at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Nusa Urbancic, campaigns director at Changing Markets Foundation.

“At climate conferences, in general, policymakers do not dedicate much attention to extracting fossil fuels for materials, such as plastic and synthetic fibers. However, NGOs have been calling for this to change for some years,” Urbanic tells us.

“We have been highlighting that plastic is the ‘Plan B’ for the oil industry, which just delays the climate impacts of these materials and causes a host of other environmental problems. Any plans for phasing out fossil fuels should include phasing down the production of plastic and moving to a truly circular economy.”

At the Bonn Climate Change Conference (Image credit: UNFCCC).Conflict of interest?
In the lead-up to COP28 in November, 133 US and European elected officials co-signed a letter urging the removal of Sultan Al Jaber as COP28 president. Al Jaber is the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which recently announced a plan to expand its oil and gas production significantly.

“For decades, the fossil fuel industry has been well aware of the dangers of climate change. Despite this, they have continually promoted climate denial, downplayed their role in emitting GHG pollution, and have created countless roadblocks on our path toward a clean energy future,” says US state representative Jared Huffman.

“The last thing we need is the chief executive of one of the planet’s largest oil and gas companies at the helm of global climate negotiations. For the sake of our planet, President Biden, President von der Leyen, Secretary General Guterres and Executive Secretary Stiell ought to use their power to keep the influence of the dirty fossil industry out of UNFCCC processes.”

Research published by Corporate Europe Observatory and Corporate Accountability earlier this month exposed how “The Big 5” (Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, TotalEnergies) oil and gas majors have brought more than 400 lobbyists to the UN climate talks since the Paris Agreement was signed at COP21. 

“This lobbying is targeted at delaying and weakening climate action so they can continue the expansion of fossil fuels and profit making, despite the alarming increase in climate disasters thanks in large part to their emissions, wreaking global devastation and destruction,” says Corporate Europe Observatory.

“Dual role”
Reacting to record profits and plans to help expand fossil fuel production presented by ADNOC drilling earlier this year, Amnesty International’s program director for Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability Marta Schaaf says: “Sultan al-Jaber cannot be an honest broker for climate talks when the company he leads is planning to cause more climate damage.” 

“It is obvious, despite Sultan al-Jaber’s denials, that his dual role is a glaring conflict of interest which will contribute to further climate disaster and unfolding human rights violations.”

Meanwhile, EEB’s Sabbadin tells us that appointing someone with vested interests in the fossil fuel industry to lead the climate talks at COP28 is “not just a blatant contradiction; it is an insult to the millions of people around the world who are already suffering the devastating effects of climate change.” 

“This decision undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the whole summit. While similar instances have occurred in the past, Al Jaber’s case could be seen as the most glaring example of corporate interests hijacking UN climate summits.”

The Guardian revealed that ADNOC has been able to read emails to and from the COP28 climate summit office and was consulted on responding to a media inquiry. Packaging Insights reached out to ADNOC for a comment but received no response.Kick Big Polluters Out was in Bonn demanding an end to the ability of big polluters to write the rules of climate action.

Decades of experience 
COP28 is justifying Al Jaber’s appointment as president-designate by saying he brings two decades of leadership experience in government, business, energy systems and diplomacy, with “a seminal role in shaping [UAE’s] clean energy path.”

But, the lack of confidence in Al Jaber continues to mount pressure. “We are very concerned about the conflict of interest and the leadership vacuum when it comes to the role UEA is playing in hosting COP28 and especially regarding its designated president,” Urbanic emphasizes.

“We are at a critical crossroads when addressing the climate emergency, and the climate actions we take in this decade will have serious repercussions for future generations. We cannot waste more precious time by giving such important leadership roles to people defending the fossil fuel industry’s interests at the expense of citizens worldwide.”

By Radhika Sikaria