UAE “planned to use climate summit to make oil deals”

The United Arab Emirates, the host of this year’s round of UN climate talks, reportedly planned to use its role as a route to strike oil and gas deals. Briefing documents prepared for Cop28 president Dr Sultan al-Jaber reveal plans to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 countries – one document prepared for a meeting with China included a line that Adnoc, the UAE’s state oil company, was “willing to jointly evaluate” liquefied natural gas sites in Mozambique, Canada and Australia. The documents were leaked to journalists at the Centre for Climate Reporting, working with the BBC. The claims were not denied by the UAE team, which told the BBC that “private meetings are private” and that it was focused on “meaningful climate action”. Jaber is also head of Adnoc, as well as the state renewables business, Masdar, which also appeared on the briefing documents.