More than 130 members of the European Parliament and the United States Congress have signed a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General, the President of the European Commission and the President of the United States in which they request their intervention so that the government of the United Arab Emirates The United States withdraws the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber as president-designate of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP28) to be held at the end of the year in this Arab country.
As will be remembered, the organization of COP28 was granted by the UN to the United Arab Emirates, a country that also corresponds, as is mandatory in these cases, the appointment of the president of the conference; a representative position but which also has some importance in the negotiations.
The signatories of the letter point out that Al Jaber is CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, considered one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, therefore his appointment as COP-28 president undermines or jeopardizes global negotiations to combat climate change.
The letter from the parliamentarians specifically recalls that the company led by Al Jaber has recently announced its plans to increase production by 7.6 billion barrels of oil, which represents the fifth largest increase in the sector worldwide.
In addition to requesting the intervention so that the UAE withdraws the appointment of Al Jaber, the parliamentarians signing the letter ask the UN to institute new policies to control business participation in the COPs (Conferences of signatory countries) and the processes of the UNFCCC (Framework Convention of Nations), which includes requiring participating companies to submit an audited declaration of interests, lobbying actions (lobbying, pressure groups), campaign contributions and funding to associations and organizations active in energy and climate.
“For billions of people, the outcome of COP28 and the ensuing international climate negotiations will mark the difference between life and death, chaos and solidarity,” said French MEP Aubrey Manon, one of the signatories to the letter.
“Corporate greed and the lies of lobbyists have led us to this climate crisis. We must prevent private business interests from interfering in politics and reclaim ownership of our future,” says this MEP member of the Confederal Group of the European United Left /Nordic Green Left.
The letter from the parliamentarians and congressmen expresses concerns and requests that are very similar to those presented two months ago in a document of almost 500 environmental protection entities, which also criticized the appointment of Al Jaber.
In contrast, the UK government has defended Sultan al Jaber as president of COP28 in recent days.
