2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference

In early 2021 the United Arab Emirates offered to host the 2023 event,[5] and in November 2021 the prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum announced that the UAE would be hosting the 2023 conference. It was the second time in two years that the conference was held in the Middle East, and the third time it was hosted by a member of OPEC after Qatar in 2012 and Indonesia in 2007.[6]

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most vulnerable to climate change countries in the world, as it is located in a region with a very hot and humid climate. Rising temperatures are already severely impacting daily life of the population increasing payments for electricity, water, making difficult simply walking in the street. In the summer months, many leave for other regions or do not leave space with air conditioning. Without action taken, by the 2070s wet bulb temperatures in the region will cross 35 degrees for prolonged period of time.[7][8][9] In fact, the Red sea, and Persian gulf are the regions with the highest number of heat - humidity extreme events in the world and already passed this threshold several times.[10] Other impacts felt in the region are dust storms, sea level rise, drought. According to Climate&Clean Air coalition the country is making efforts to reduce emissions in many ways regarding different sectors of its economy. The measures include promoting organic and hydroponic agriculture, building the Etihad Rail, reducing waste (especially food waste), promoting circular economy.[11]

The UAE pledged to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, the first middle eastern government to make such a pledge.[5] They were also the first country in the region to sign the Paris Agreement on September 21, 2016.[12][13] The country has invested $50 billion into clean energy internationally, and promised an additional $50 billion by 2030.[14][15] In November 2022, the UAE agreed to partner with the United States to invest another $100 billion in clean energy.[16] On 1 August 2023, the UAE allowed environmental activists to “assemble peacefully” at the summit, and vowed to provide them a space to “make their voices heard”, despite its laws that prohibit unauthorized protests.[17]

Around 2 months before the conference, some called to increase international cooperation as a necessary condition for success. Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency expressed hope for significant achievements in the summit but noted: "geopolitical situation, with many nations at loggerheads over the war in Ukraine, and still frosty relations between the US and China, would make for a difficult summit." "The most important challenge [to limiting temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels] is the lack of international cooperation."[18][19] China's representative declared that China, United States and the European Union agreed to cooperate for the success of the conference.[20] The 2023 Israel–Hamas war raised fears, that it can hurt efforts to mitigate climate change at COP 28, as the war in Ukraine or maybe even more.[21][22][23]

In advance to the conference Pope Francis issued an apostolic exhortation called Laudate Deum in which he calls for brisk action against the climate crisis and condemns climate change denial.[24][25]

Soon before the opening of COP28, the United Nations will publish the first two-year assessment of global progress to slow down climate change called the "global stocktake." The overview was established during COP26 in Glasgow and is scheduled to be repeated every five years.[26][27]

In September 2023 the first global stocktake report was published. According to the report for reach carbon neutrality, a phase out of unabated fossil fuels is needed (before it the United Nations avoided to say it).[28] Among the main findings of the report:[29]

• The Paris agreement and following climate action significantly helped in reducing emissions. In 2011 the projected warming by 2100 was 3.7–4.8 °C. After COP 27 it was 2.4–2.6 °C and in the best case, if all pledge accomplished, 1.7–2.1 °C.

• As of September 2023 the world is not on track to reach the targets of the Paris agreement. For having a more than 50% chance of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C and more than 67% chance of limiting it to 2°C, global emissions must peak by the year of 2025.

• Trillions of dollars are needed for limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. All financial flows need to change.

• More effective international cooperation and collaboration are crucial for reaching the targets of the Paris agreement.

Sultan Al Jaber was named President-Designate of COP28 UAE in January of 2023.[30] He is the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC); he also serves as chairman and a founder of the renewable energy company Masdar, leads the UAE's climate envoy, and serves as minister for industry and advanced technology.[31] The move was criticised in an open letter from over 130 US lawmakers and Members of the European Parliament, who were calling for the removal of Al Jaber as the president-designate of COP28. The letter expressed concerns over how the private sector polluters were exercising "undue influence" over the climate summit’s process.[32][33] In May 2023, US Senator Ed Markey separately criticized the decision to hold COP28 in the UAE.[34] Other individuals, such as US climate envoy John Kerry, expressed their support for Al Jaber's appointment.[35]

Al Jaber’s presidency of COP28 climate change conference contradicted his company’s decision to expand fossil fuel production in ADNOC Drilling company. The human rights organization Amnesty International raised concerns, stating, “Sultan al-Jaber cannot be an honest broker for climate talks when the company he leads is planning to cause more climate damage.”[36]

In January 2023, Dubai Cares became the Education partner for COP28. It had already participated in COP27 held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.[37]

The UAE organizers of COP28 told the speakers at the climate and health conference to not protest or "criticise corporations" in the Emirates. The warning cited the Gulf state’s laws, under which the panel members were warned: "Do not criticise Islam, UAE government, corporations or individuals". Climate activists raised concerns around how the UAE will host COP28 without freedom of speech.[38]

The UAE invited the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad to COP28. The UAE was alleged of willing to assist Assad to improve his image. Human Rights Watch said it was outrageous that COP28 was being used to reintroduce Assad in the international community.[39]

Leading into the summit, users on social media noted a large number of fake social media accounts being used to defend UAE's presidency of the climate summit. The social media accounts were tracked by Marc Owen Jones of Hamad Bin Khalifa University.[40]

In June 2023, governments gathered in Bonn to prepare for COP28. HRW highlighted that the UAE doesn’t allow freedom of expression and had been aggressively silencing critics. The organization said the governments in Bonn should use the opportunity to push the Emirati authorities to ease the “grip on civic space and uphold rights”. It said the UN and other governments must demand the UAE to end the persecution of rights defenders like Ahmed Mansoor. However, HRW also expressed concerns that there’s a risk that the COP28 participants will stay silent fearing retaliation.[41]

On 7 June 2023, a report based on technical analysis by The Guardian revealed that Sultan Al Jaber’s ADNOC was able to read the emails to and from the COP28 climate submit office. ADNOC was also consulted over how to reply to media inquiries by the consultancy firm, Gulstan Advisory. The report also stated that COP28 office shared its email servers with ADNOC. COP28 office shifted to a different server after the The Guardian’s inquiry.[42]

John Kerry urged the oil and gas industry leaders to bring strategies at COP28 to cut their scope one and two emissions by 2030. He also asked them to initiate capital allocation commitments for renewable energy during the same timeline. On the other hand, climate experts and campaigners were raising concerns that the COP28 event will become an “oil COP”, as it was taking place in a petrostate. Besides, the oil and gas industry was to play a crucial role in the discussions to combat climate change.[43]

Prior to the conference, the UAE attempted to whitewash its international reputation. The country hired PR and lobbying agencies, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Gulstan Advisory and FleishmanHillard, to promote itself as the host of COP28.[44] In May 2015, the COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, who became centre of controversies, was alleged of attempting to greenwash his image by paying users to clean his Wikipedia page. A Wikipedia user revealed that they were paid by ADNOC, while another was paid by Masdar to control narrative on Wikipedia.[45] Another report revealed that fake user accounts were being used to run promotional campaigns and defend controversies around COP28 on social media platforms. Hundreds of such pseudo accounts were operating on Twitter and Medium. The campaign aimed at promoting and greenwashing COP28, while also defending criticism against the conference and Al Jaber.[46]

Campaigning journalist Amy Westervelt has been critical of lead‑up efforts by the UN organizers to improve the transparency of COP 28 by requiring industry lobbyists to identify and argues this measure is entirely inadequate to control influence.[47]

During the past decade, the UAE has spent more than $1 million on direct climate-focused advocacy and paid millions more to advisory firms like Gulstan Advisory and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and think tanks helping to polish its green credentials. No other host nation has invested as much time and money to shape its image ahead of the annual climate negotiations.[48]

A report based on leaked documents by The Guardian revealed that the UAE prepared an all-inclusive list mentioning the “touchy and sensitive issues”, ranging from the UAE’s climate issues to human rights violations, such as the war in Yemen and human trafficking. The document included “strategic messages” approved by the Emirati government, which were to be used as a reply to the media. The document highlighted that the country would defend ADNOC’s failure to disclose its emissions since 2016 by saying that “Adnoc is currently conducting necessary studies”. Besides, the document also mentioned that questions on Sultan Al Jaber’s presidency will be answered with, “Dr Sultan’s full circle career [in energy, climate and diplomacy] gives him the expertise needed to constructively engage, disrupt, and unite the very sectors needed to achieve meaningful action.”[49]

The UAE hired a US-based PR firm, First International Resources, to “counteract all negative press and media reports” around the Gulf state as a COP28 host. The agreement followed the negative criticism over the UAE’s decision to assign Sultan Al Jaber as the COP28 president. On 4 August 2023, the company registered under FARA to represent Masdar. According to the filings, the PR firm was supposed to seek to “reinforce attitudes among decision makers in Washington, DC and across Europe regarding the strategic value of the UAE in the global fight to address climate change”. The UAE was to pay First International Resources a monthly retainer fee of $100,000. Fossil Free Media founder and director, Jamie Henn said such an amount is not paid to a PR firm “when you’re confident about your public image”. He said that much is spent “when you want to spin the public to believe the impossible,” which the UAE and Al Jaber had been “really committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels”.[50]

In August 2023, The Guardian revealed that for nearly a decade, the UAE failed to report the UN about its methane emissions. Meanwhile, Sultan Al Jaber’s ADNOC set a much higher methane leak target than the level it claimed to have already reached. Cutting Methane emissions is believed to be a fast and low-cost method to slow the temperature rise, because the powerful greenhouse gas causes almost a quarter of global heating.[51]

In September 2023, a report by The New York Times revealed a leaked recording of a meeting between the UAE and the COP28 organizers in February. It highlighted the Emirates’ efforts to counter criticism around its role to host the summit. The UAE’s Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan commission a survey of over 20,000 from the 20 countries, which was used by the officials to discuss the public attitude towards the Arab nation. The major concerns were all about human rights. One of the participant, Sconaid McGeachin said COPs have become a platform for activism. She was heard saying, “We need to preserve the reputation of the UAE...and try to minimize those attacks as much as possible.” A spokesperson for COP28, Vincent Hughes called the leaked recording “unverified”.[52]

• 2023 in climate change
• 49th G7 summit
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
• Climate change in the United Arab Emirates
• Climate finance
• Global Assembly
• Global stocktake
• Greenwashing
• Hydrogen economy

Media related to 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference at Wikimedia Commons

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