US, EU lawmakers push to depose UAE Jaber from climate talks

Over 100 members of the US Congress and European Parliament called on Tuesday for Sultan Al-Jaber to be removed as the designated head of the upcoming COP28 climate talks, saying the oil executive’s appointment threatened the integrity of negotiations, Reuters reports.

Jaber, who heads the United Arab Emirates oil giant, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, was chosen in January to lead the talks. He also serves as the UAE’s Ministry of Industry and Technology as well as its Climate Envoy.

In a letter sent to US President Joe Biden, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen and the United Nations, the lawmakers voiced “profound concern” that private sector polluters would be able to “exert undue influence” on the climate negotiations, to be held in Dubai later this year.

“We urge you to … engage in diplomatic efforts to secure the withdrawal of the President-designate of COP28,” they wrote.

Signatories included US Democratic senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Most EU signatories hailed from the Greens and Left groups.

Scientists and climate activists have expressed dismay at Jaber’s appointment, taking it as a sign that big industry has commandeered the global response to the climate crisis.

READ: UAE names head of oil company as COP28 climate conference president

More than 600 fossil fuel lobbyists were present at the COP27 climate talks held in Egypt last year.

This is not the first time that lawmakers have called for Jaber’s removal.

Shortly after his appointment, 27 Democratic members of the US Congress sent a letter to top US Climate Envoy, John Kerry, urging him to persuade the future UN climate summit host to withdraw its pick of Jaber.

Responding to criticism, Jaber previously told Reuters that he had “no intention” of deviating from the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C degrees above pre-industrial levels.

“Keeping 1.5 alive is a top priority and it will cut across everything I do,” he said.

Others have thrown their support behind the oil executive. On Monday, EU Climate Policy chief, Frans Timmermans told a European Parliament meeting that “if we want the energy transition to succeed, we have to get the energy companies on board.”

“Vilifying them and ignoring them is not going to get the dynamics going in terms of the energy transition, and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber has also a long track record of investing in renewables within his company,” Timmermans said.