COP 28

[gerontocrat]

The President of COP28 to be held in December this year is the boss of the world's 12th largest oil & gas company.

I debated with myself whether opening this topic is an act of pure masochism. But here we go anyway.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64240206
Climate change: UAE names oil chief to lead COP28 talks

The head of one of the world's biggest oil companies has been named to lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai, later this year.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is currently the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

He is also the minister for industry and advanced technology for the COP28 hosts, the United Arab Emirates.

Campaigners say he must stand down from his oil business role while president as it is a clear conflict of interest.

They believe someone steeped in the oil industry may not push countries to rapidly reduce their production and use of fossil fuel, which scientists say is critical to avoiding dangerous climate change.

Running the global climate talks process is not an easy job - for months before, and especially during the conference, every word and action of the president is heavily scrutinised.

COP28 is already mired in some controversy as the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, are one of the world's biggest producers of oil and gas.

The appointment of a key figure in the energy industry as the president-designate of COP28 will likely increase the concerns that the global climate talks process is facing significant influence from fossil fuel interests.

The recent COP27 gathering in Egypt was described by some attendees as a "glorified fossil fuel trade show".

Analysis of those who registered for the event showed a significant increase in those who were connected to the oil and gas industry compared to previous meetings. Among the large delegation from the UAE at the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, there were 70 people closely connected to fossil fuels.

Mr Al Jaber is the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said to be the world's 12th biggest oil company. Over the past decade he has become the face of the UAE's energy industry but he will be the first serving oil executive to assume the role of COP president.

As well as being a minister and his country's climate envoy, he is also chairman of Masdar, the government-owned renewable energy company that he helped set up.

He has certainly long warned of the dangers of climate change but campaigners are concerned about his appointment, and are calling for him to step aside from his industry roles.

"It is imperative for the world to be reassured that he will step down from his role as the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company," said Tasneem Essop, from Climate Action International.

"He cannot preside over a process that is tasked to address the climate crisis with such a conflict of interest, heading an industry that is responsible for the crisis itself."

What will concern campaigners is that major oil and gas producers are among those opposed to a more rapid phase out of all fossil fuels.

At COP27, there was a strong push from more than 80 countries for the conference to declare support for a phase down of oil and gas as well as coal. This attempt came to nothing in the face of strong opposition from countries the rely of fossil fuel exports.

While Mr Al Jaber's appointment has been met with criticism from activists, others involved in climate diplomacy have welcomed the move.

"The UAE has adopted a sound green growth strategy and is a major investor in renewable energy both at home and abroad," said Yvo de Boer, who was UN climate chief between 2006 and 2010.

"The COP president-designate has been instrumental on many of these issues. This equips him with the understanding, experience and responsibility to make COP28 ambitious, innovative and future focussed."

Certainly those skills will be tested at the gathering in Dubai in early December this year.

COP28 will hold the first formal assessment of progress on cutting carbon since the Paris agreement was signed.

The "global stocktake" as it is called will be a key moment in clarifying just how much further countries will need to go in restricting their emissions.

[Sigmetnow]

Well, we know from recent posts in the Oil & Gas thread that Oil companies knew a spectacular amount about the climate impacts of petroleum use, decades ago.
/s

Seriously, did other countries simply give up, and not want to be blamed for what they depressingly thought would likely be a poor outcome?  Or did they consider this arrangement to be a money-saving device, at a time when they were all strapped for cash?

[gerontocrat]

From my first post...

COP28 will hold the first formal assessment of progress on cutting carbon since the Paris agreement was signed. The "global stocktake" as it is called will be a key moment in clarifying just how much further countries will need to go in restricting their emissions.

So what will be the UK Government's "stocktake"submission to COP 28? I doubt it will be the Net Zero Report by Chris Skidmore, the UK Government's "Net Zero Tsar", a Conservative MP known to be a solidly loyal Conservative. (He is not seeking relection in 2024 - his goodbye present?).

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/12/rishi-sunak-stop-start-policies-harming-uk-green-investment-says-net-zero-tsar
Sunak’s stop-start policies harming UK green investment, says net zero tsar

Exclusive: Lack of confidence in ‘inconsistent’ government is huge barrier to investors, finds Chris Skidmore

Rishi Sunak has been criticised by his own net zero tsar, who says the UK risks missing its green targets due to inconsistent policies and lack of commitment to pledges.

In his net zero review, seen by the Guardian, Chris Skidmore said a large barrier to renewable energy was a lack of confidence in the government, which has inconsistent policy support for green energy, with measures such as Sunak’s new electricity tax.

Skidmore, the Conservative MP for Kingswood, was asked by the former prime minister Liz Truss to write a review on the policy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. He was asked to find out what was working with the policy regarding not putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the UK absorbs, and to make the business case for the goal.

One issue mentioned throughout the report is a lack of policy commitment. Skidmore said: “The overwhelming impression I got was we will make net zero more affordable if we are able to deliver further and faster, which requires certainty and consistency of approach. We need to de-risk investment, which will actually drive down the costs of net zero, and if the recommendations put forward by my review are followed we will create incentives to invest in renewables.

“The review recognises we have fallen behind, but it sets out how we can be world-leading in these areas once again. We need to remove the barriers that are in place at the moment.”

Dan McGrail, chief executive of the trade body RenewableUK, said: “Sudden policy changes like the imposition of the electricity generator levy, which kicked in at the start of this year, have put investment at risk.”

Chris Hewett, chief executive of the trade association Solar Energy UK, said: “Skidmore is right to demand the replacement of stop-start policies with certainty for investors.”

Skidmore cited agriculture as one of the main culprits of carbon emissions, and said its share of emissions could, by 2030, grow from 12% to 30%. To encourage people to eat more environmentally friendly foods, Skidmore recommended “eco-labelling” rather than a tax or ban on foods such as red meat.

He also said that farmers had been disincentivised from farming in an environmentally friendly way by the confusion around the government’s post-Brexit nature-friendly agriculture payments, and that there had been missed opportunities for nature-based solutions with most policy focused on woodlands and peatland rather than many other carbon sinks such as wetlands.

In the review, Skidmore called for a stable policy environment, with consistent support for renewables, as well as a reform of the way the government financially helps renewable energy projects to make that more attractive for investors.

But climate campaigners criticised the review for being unambitious and for not calling for strong policies to avert the climate crisis.

Doug Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, said: “Whilst there is much useful analysis of the problem the review stops short of recommending the kind of muscular policies that would really drive change towards the massive growth in renewables which will be necessary.

“Without a strong push from government the renewables revolution will still proceed, because the economic logic dictates it should. But it won’t happen at the pace it needs to in order to forestall some of the worst effects of climate change.”

While the review says the UK needs a “rooftop revolution” for solar panels and suggests making planning decisions easier to enable this, it stops short of recommending mandates for solar panels on new builds, or more funding to encourage take-up.

Parr added: “All credible scenarios of our future economy rely on renewable energy being the backbone of the future energy system, and the review should have said government needs to change the remit of the regulator to include net zero delivery, insist on solar panels being on new roofs, expand the scale of renewables contracts and rapidly lay out the location of the offshore electricity grid. Instead, the government seem like a mildly curious spectator, wondering why their aspirations aren’t materialising without ever intervening to make them happen.”

The renewable energy industry has tentatively welcomed the review, with industry leaders saying it contains good ideas that should be adopted by the government.

McGrail said: “If the government is looking to increase the economic benefits of the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions, Chris Skidmore’s review has some really clear easy wins. As he suggests, setting targets for new onshore wind and solar capacity would certainly increase investor confidence, as well as ensuring we can decarbonise our electricity system by 2035.”

He also praised Skidmore for promoting the use of “a wide range of renewables to strengthen Britain’s energy security, including innovative technologies like floating wind and tidal stream”.

He said that he would have liked the review to have told the government to take a “war room” approach to tackling grid connectivity, “with the prime minister bringing all relevant bodies together to address this urgently”.

Hewett said: “We very much hope that Whitehall will embrace his call to establish a joint taskforce with the solar industry to work on a roadmap for reaching 70GW of solar [capacity] by 2035 – about four-and-a-half times what we have now.

“The number-one priority of this group will have to be unblocking access to the grid – which is pushing back the completion of many large projects well into the next decade.”

Polly Billington, chief executive of the UK100 group of local government leaders, said the review showed that local authorities must play a leading role in implementing policy. “This independent review confirms what UK100 has been saying for years: local authorities are the key to achieving the UK’s net zero goals,” she said.

“[We particularly welcome] the recommendation to end the disjointed mess of short-term, competitive local authority funding pots. This move would help communities maximise the economic and social benefits of net zero while making the most cost-effective use of resources.”

Ed Miliband, the shadow climate secretary, said: “Another day, another Conservative MP calling out the total failure of this government over many years to act with the urgency and consistency that the climate crisis demands. Chris Skidmore is right about the fact that 13 years of delay, dither and a refusal to go all-in on a green energy sprint under the Conservatives, is depriving our country of the economic opportunities climate action offers.

“The tragedy is that Rishi Sunak is making things even worse. He is a fossil fuel prime minister in a renewable age who has never understood what this report reaffirms – that going green is pro-business, pro-worker and is a vital part of growing our economy.”

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been approached for comment.

& here is comment....

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/12/why-net-zero-tsar-review-is-a-damning-indictment-of-tory-government-chris-skidmore
Analysis
Why net zero tsar’s review is a damning indictment of Tory government
Fiona Harvey and Helena Horton
Some say Chris Skidmore should have gone further but party loyalist lays bare policy failure across the board

Shortly before Christmas, the former energy minister Chris Skidmore announced he would not be standing again as a Conservative MP.

He was one of a slew of Tory MPs to do so, amid party turmoil and plunging opinion polls. But unlike his colleagues, he was in a unique position to make his views felt. During her brief premiership, Liz Truss had effectively made him the UK net zero tsar, tasked with writing a comprehensive review of the country’s progress towards achieving the legally binding target for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Now Skidmore, one of the co-authors with Truss and the former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng of the notorious rightwing "Britannia Unchained" tract, has delivered a stinging broadside against the government he is leaving.

His review argues that the Conservatives have failed on nearly every aspect of net zero policy. Though it is cloaked in polite language, and couched in terms of constructive suggestions rather than hard-hitting new policy demands, there is little in its 320 pages to show the government is on track on any of the wide range of policies needed, on areas from transport to housing, farming to energy generation.

“From a former Tory minster, this is a very significant clear-eyed analysis of what is missing from government policy,” said Polly Billington, the chief executive of UK100, a group of local government leaders that campaigns for climate action. “This is a strong critique of the shortcomings on net zero.”

Across the areas of policy that are key to meeting emissions target, Skidmore records failure after failure. Renewable energy growth has been hampered by government U-turns and dithering, he notes. Homes are leaking heat because of the government’s refusal to enact insulation programmes, and new ones are still being built with no regard to net zero standards. Land use is confused and farmers are not being helped to make low-carbon choices. Transport policy emerges from this critique as more or less an abject mess, though Skidmore skimps on the recommendations he could have made to rectify it.

Yet his review also makes it clear that net zero offers huge economic potential for the UK. Rather than being a cost, as Skidmore’s rightwing colleagues would argue, the review shows in detail how pursuing net zero can bring: green jobs, economic growth to regions in need of levelling-up, health and wellbeing benefits as well as fulfilling the UK’s international climate obligations.

Skidmore has said how deep-delving and broad-ranging this review is. He told the Guardian: “The independent review ‘Mission Zero’ is the largest ever engagement with organisations, business and industry on net zero. As the independent chair, I’ve personally listened to over 1,000 individuals and companies in over 50 roundtables held across the country in every region and devolved nation of the UK. The review is as comprehensive as I could make it – with over 130 recommendations in the 330 page report.”

He added: “Above all, I hope it demonstrates how to implement and deliver on net zero effectively, efficiently and in the most cost effective way by getting on with the transition. As the report explains, net zero is a huge investment opportunity for the UK and I have sought to set out the positive case for why we should be making it easier to invest in sustainable and renewable energy.”

Lord Stern, a global development and climate economist, said the findings pointed to new economic potential for the UK. “[This is] a rigorous, robust, and inclusive review of the evidence on the economics of the UK’s net zero transition, [which argues] convincingly that the transition to a net zero economy is the growth opportunity of the 21st century, and the UK is well-placed to benefit from the increasing demand for net zero goods and services, if it makes the right public and private investments.”

He added: “It highlights the critical importance of government creating an environment that is conducive to this investment by providing clarity, certainty, consistency and continuity of policy. This transition, and the investment and innovation it embodies, are at the core of the UK’s growth story for the coming decade.”

Campaigners have said they would have liked to see a much harder-hitting set of recommendations across the board: some were disappointed, and felt that Skidmore had pulled his punches.

But it would be wrong to under-estimate his work. This is a damning document, by one of the party’s own loyalists, laying bare how badly off track the UK government is on its core climate policy commitment, and how little appetite the government has for seizing the policy and economic opportunities on offer.

Comment from me
I live on the North Coast of Scotland, and am surrounded by onshore wind-farms, with 2 new ones progressing to approval within sight of where I live. The transmission lines head south. England has blocked onshore wind, Scotland is pushing growth hard.

& The result for me? My standard electricity tariff is the highest in mainland UK. Thanks, England and the artificial market free-for-all.

[gerontocrat]

Realpolitik rules, OK

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-united-states-government-only-on-ap-john-kerry-b5d6482d465dcc8fa5063af9a0e44041
John Kerry tells AP he backs UAE oil chief overseeing COP28

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry backs the United Arab Emirates’ decision to appoint the CEO of a state-run oil company to preside over the upcoming U.N. climate negotiations in Dubai, citing his work on renewable energy projects.

In an interview Sunday with The Associated Press, the former U.S. secretary of state acknowledged that the Emirates and other countries relying on fossil fuels to fund their state coffers face finding “some balance” ahead.

However, he dismissed the idea that Sultan al-Jaber’s appointment should be automatically disqualified due to him leading the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. Activists, however, equated it to asking “arms dealers to lead peace talks” when authorities announced his nomination Thursday.

“I think that Dr. Sultan al-Jaber is a terrific choice because he is the head of the company. That company knows it needs to transition,” Kerry said after attending an energy conference in the Emirati capital. “He knows — and the leadership of the UAE is committed to transitioning.”

In an interview Sunday with The Associated Press, the former U.S. secretary of state acknowledged that the Emirates and other countries relying on fossil fuels to fund their state coffers face finding “some balance” ahead.

However, he dismissed the idea that Sultan al-Jaber’s appointment should be automatically disqualified due to him leading the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. Activists, however, equated it to asking “arms dealers to lead peace talks” when authorities announced his nomination Thursday.

“I think that Dr. Sultan al-Jaber is a terrific choice because he is the head of the company. That company knows it needs to transition,” Kerry said after attending an energy conference in the Emirati capital. “He knows — and the leadership of the UAE is committed to transitioning.”

Still, Abu Dhabi plans to increase its production of crude oil from 4 million barrels a day up to 5 million even while the UAE promises to be carbon neutral by 2050 — a target that remains difficult to assess and one that the Emirates still hasn’t fully explained how it will reach.

Kerry pointed to a speech al-Jaber gave Saturday in Abu Dhabi, in which he called for the upcoming COP — or Conference of Parties — to move “from goals to getting it done across mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage.” Al-Jaber also warned that the world “must be honest with ourselves about how much progress we have actually achieved, and how much further and faster we truly need to go.”

Skepticism remains among activists over al-Jaber, however. A call by countries, including India and the United States, for a phase down of oil and natural gas never reached a public discussion during COP27 in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in November.

Activists worry that COP being held in a Mideast nation reliant on fossil fuel sales for a second year in a row could see something similar happen in the Emirates.

Asked about that fear, Kerry said: “I don’t believe UAE was involved in changing that.”

“There’s going to be a level of scrutiny — and and I think that’s going to be very constructive,” the former U.S. senator and 2004 presidential contender said. “It’s going to help people, you know, stay on the line here.”

“I think this is a time, a new time of accountability,” he added.

Still, the Emirates and the U.S. maintain close military relations, regardless of the federation making policy decisions disliked by Washington.

Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port is the most-used port of call for the U.S. Navy outside of America. Some 3,500 American troops are deployed in the country, including at Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Air Base and a Navy outpost in Fujairah. The UAE has some $29 billion in pending defense sales with the Americans, including purchasing its most-advanced air defense system known by the acronym THAAD.

[Sebastian Jones]

The capture of the COP process by the fossil fuel industry and their fanboys in some governments is beyond appalling.
I see little point in attending the next COP.
It would be like holding it in the Canadian province of Alberta, presided over by its oil soaked environment minister.
No jurisdiction hell bent on increasing fossil fuel production should be considered as a host for climate talks.
This is a dire blow.

[Rodius]

This is so tragic it is becoming funny.

I keep wanting to believe we will figure this shit out (knowing full well we cant do it anymore and this is more about prepping rather than stopping it), and the industries that ignored the science they researched and who hindered attempts to stop it from spreading when it was still possible are STILL running the show.

I might find a Doomer forum.

[Garabaldi]

I find it difficult to comprehend how ASIF contributors expect to establish international agreements to manage climate change by not talking to anybody. There are very few states serious about climate change, the rich hypocritical in the northern EU and the soon to submerged ones in Pacific and Indian oceans. I doubt think we would get a similar reaction from ASIF if it was held in Australia, despite our pitiful history of climate inaction despite being one the highest per contributors to the problem.

[NeilT]

There are times when dialogue will resolve issues.  However with an entrenched attitude then vocally refusing dialogue whilst making the world aware that those who want to talk ONLY want to talk, not to act and that talk is to reduce whatever action may be possible; could be a far better option.

Refusing to engage in a useless talking shop is a viable option, however there needs to be an alternative.  I.e. those countries who do want to do something getting together and doing it whilst globally lambasting those who do not want to do anything.

The best action is action to stop consuming the very products they are trying to protect.  The fossil lobby want to derail that action by talk which achieves nothing.

Not that I expect this to happen.  But I do see it as a viable option.

For instance walking away and creating a law which bans the sale of FF vehicles in 2030 (ahead of the current 2035), then banning FF vehicles in general from 2040, is a real solid action. Also banning coal fired power from 2030 and gas fired power from 2040 is another solid action.  It doesn't require any talk.  It does, however, impact the fossil lobby.  Then they might talk sense.

[gerontocrat]

Confirmation that the CEO of the Abu Dhabi Oil Company will stay in that position while President of  COP 28.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/uae-cop28-president-sultan-al-jaber-to-keep-role-as-head-of-national-oil-company
UAE’s Cop28 president will keep role as head of national oil company

Campaigners warn ‘breathtaking conflict of interest’ could jeopardise climate negotiating process

Sultan Al Jaber, the government minister for United Arab Emirates who will preside over this year’s crucial UN climate talks, will retain his roles as head of the country’s oil company and sustainable energy businesses, UAE has confirmed.

Campaigners have been angered by the decision, revealed by the Guardian on Wednesday and confirmed on Thursday by the UAE government, which they see as a clear conflict of interest, with some likening it to putting a tobacco company head in charge of an anti-smoking treaty, and warning it could jeopardise the negotiating process and hasten climate breakdown.

[kassy]

I debated with myself whether opening this topic is an act of pure masochism. But here we go anyway.

Funny i was pondering the same thing.

Does it matter what they agree on? Pledges with no supporting action over the years turn into lies. The back room energy dealing was active last round and it will be again.

It is telling that somehow the fossil fuel industry is always part of the talks. Did the coolant industry get to vote on the CFCs? Of course the FF lawyers and diplomats are involved in maiming the AR6 text too, mainly the executive summary. Reading that is masochism too. Although you can make it fun by looking for the most convolutes paragraph.

But then again the rest consists of waiting for a BOE or the acceleration of Thwaites with as bonus  the Amazon possibly reaching it´s tipping point.

We will see what they will say at the time.   
 

[gerontocrat]

An opinion piece from Bill McGuire. It is hard to believe he's got it wrong. Why join a crap game when you know the dice are loaded.

But no more from me until we get some hard news with data.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/16/fossil-fuel-destroyed-cops-un-compromised-cop28
Let’s face reality. Fossil fuel interests have destroyed the Cops – we need something new
Bill McGuire
It beggars belief that the UN thought it a good idea to allow an authoritarian petro-state to host an already compromised Cop28
Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL

There is a battle raging over the heart and soul of the UN Cop conferences, which have taken place every year since 1995. On one side are the climate scientists, policymakers, and representatives of countries most under threat from global heating and of nations that simply “get” the disastrous effects of the climate crisis. On the other side is the fossil-fuel industry.

The battle has largely been fought under the radar, but it has been going on for some time. And those who fly the fossil-fuel flag are on the brink of victory. The attack began seriously to gain ground at Cop25. First Jair Bolsonaro’s Brazil withdrew its offer to host the event, then stand-in Chile pulled out due to civil unrest. The Spanish government stepped up at the last minute, and so did its fossil-fuel corporations. The Spanish energy giants Iberdrola and Endesa – the latter one of the country’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters – paid wads of cash to become major sponsors and buy the right to have their logos plastered all over the conference venue.

At Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021 the fossil-fuel invasion continued, this time taking the form of more than 500 delegates representing oil, gas and coal interests. These were lobbyist shock troops charged with ensuring that their industry wouldn’t be hindered in its quest to use more fossil carbon. Last year, at Cop27 – hosted by Egypt at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh – the fossil-fuel sector consolidated its position by hiking its contingent to a whopping 636 delegates.

The 2023 climate conference, Cop28, will be held a few weeks before Christmas in the United Arab Emirates, and the fossil-fuel lobby already knows it is getting the best present it could ever wish for. Last week, the chief of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Sultan Al Jaber, was paraded as the president of Cop28, making the triumph of the fossil-fuel sector complete. It’s like a big tobacco CEO hosting a cancer conference, except this time the health of the whole planet is at stake.

It beggars belief that the UN thought it a good idea to allow an authoritarian petro-state to host such a critical meeting at the height of the climate emergency. Given the UAE’s huge investment in oil and gas, it was always likely that there would be serious tensions at Cop28 between action on climate and the fossil-fuel industry. Handing the presidency to Al Jaber has compromised the conference beyond repair, reinforcing concerns that the whole Cop process simply isn’t fit for purpose.

[kassy]

African activists question credibility of upcoming UN climate talks


MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Climate activists in Africa are expressing anger toward the United Nations climate agency, accusing it of allowing corporations and individuals with dubious climate credentials to greenwash their polluting activities by participating in its annual climate conference.

...

Activists say they are increasingly concerned about oil and gas representatives thwarting the conference, where countries try and agree on ways to cut planet-warming activities. An analysis of the provisional list of last year’s conference participants found 636 people linked to fossil fuel companies were set to attend, a 25 percent increase from 2021.

Campaign groups on the continent are calling on blocs of climate-vulnerable nations to reject any move by the UAE that gives fossil fuel actors control of global climate discussions.

“This is the textbook definition of impunity and conflict of interest,” Mithika Mwenda, PACJA’s executive director said in a statement Monday on al-Jaber, where he also called for the president-designate to step down. “It is hard to see al-Jaber leading objective, science-backed negotiations in the interest of the most vulnerable.”

...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/african-activists-question-credibility-of-upcoming-un-climate-talks

[gerontocrat]

Can it get worse? Yes, of course. it can and has....

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/uae-oil-company-cop28
UAE oil company employees given roles in office hosting Cop28

Exclusive: at least 12 officials at body hosting Cop28 appear to have come straight from fossil fuel industry.

At least a dozen employees from the United Arab Emirate’s state-owned oil company have apparently taken up roles with the office of the UAE’s climate change special envoy, who will host this year’s Cop28 UN climate summit.

The revelation adds to growing concerns over the potential for blurred lines between the team hosting this year’s crucial summit and the oil-rich country’s influential fossil fuel industry.

The officials were apparently working in the UAE’s oil and gas industry immediately before taking up roles in the Cop28 team, according to an analysis of LinkedIn accounts by the independent investigative group Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR), and seen by the Guardian.

Among the officials are two former Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) engineers who will act as negotiators on behalf of the UAE at the conference, despite their LinkedIn profiles suggesting they may not have a background in international climate diplomacy.

Two of the employees have been seconded from their roles at Adnoc, according to LinkedIn accounts reviewed by CCR. Meanwhile, senior executives at the oil company have been “tasked with supporting” the UAE’s role as hosts of this year’s conference.

The findings follow the recent announcement that Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the chief executive of Adnoc, will preside over the conference in November while retaining his role at the oil company. Climate campaigners and some politicians have called for Jaber to give up his oil role while hosting the summit, to avoid any conflict of interest.

“If we don’t make some dramatic changes, Cop28 is going to be the lost climate summit,” said the US congressman Jared Huffman, who in a letter last week called on the special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, to push the UAE to remove Jaber from his post as Cop28 president. “To somehow pretend that all of these fossil fuel personnel and all of these connections are not a massive threat to the entire conference goes beyond naive.”

Sami Joost, a spokesperson for the UAE climate change special envoy, said: “The individuals who are being hired have come from a variety of backgrounds and sectors … Once in post, these individuals are entirely focused on the job of delivering Cop28 and have no obligations to their former employers.”

Adnoc did not respond to questions about its ties to the envoy.

Records also suggest at least some members of the Cop28 team may be working in the same building as the oil company. Filings with the US justice department last year listed Adnoc’s headquarters as the address for the UAE climate change special envoy. The United Nations, which organises the annual conferences, has questioned the UAE delegation about its independence from Adnoc, according to a recent Politico report.

“Staff are currently based in several different locations,” said Joost, adding that they would be moving into permanent offices in February. “In the meantime, there are clear governance guidelines in place to ensure that the team can operate entirely independently from any other entity where they may be situated.”

The UAE has said this year’s climate change conference, during which representatives from across the world will travel to Dubai to assess progress in tackling the climate emergency, will be an “inclusive Cop which brings all perspectives to the table”. The UAE has invested heavily in renewable energy but has continued to increase oil production.

Adnoc has also sought to bring on board someone with experience in international climate talks to help with “diplomatic engagement” during the conference, according to a job description seen by CCR and the Guardian. On a document headed with the Adnoc logo, the job description said the candidate would “liaise between Cop28 office and relevant UAE embassies abroad”.

One person approached for the job claimed they were told by the recruiter that Adnoc was involved in hiring for the position, even though the role appears to be entirely focused on Cop28. The recruiter also reportedly said the oil company was in the process of hiring about 100 climate policy staffers ahead of the conference.

Joost would not say whether the “diplomatic engagement” position would be part of the UAE climate change special envoy, saying he “would not comment on specific roles”.

“The aim is to bring together a team with the best possible skills and experience to allow Cop28 to deliver on all of its objectives,” he said.

The US senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who co-signed the letter to Kerry last week, said: “Time is getting short to solve the climate crisis and Cop is the only venue for finding international agreement on how to get it done. These conversations need to happen free from the malign influence of the fossil fuel industry.”

Shortly after Jaber was announced as the Cop28 president last month, the US public relations agency Edelman emailed scores of journalists touting the UAE’s investment in renewable energy. “Last year, we made a commitment to be the agency of choice for organisations dedicated to climate action,” said Michael Bush, a spokesperson for Edelman. Bush said the agency had been hired to work on Cop28 through its engagement with the Emirati renewable energy company Masdar.

Masdar is owned by Adnoc, another state-owned fossil fuel company called Taqa and an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Edelman has not disclosed how much it is being paid for the work.

The former UK prime minister Tony Blair was another source of praise for Jaber’s appointment. Blair has previously worked on behalf of the UAE, and a number of staff at his government advisory non-profit, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, are based in the country. Blair also gave the keynote speech at Adnoc’s investor forum in 2019.

Julie Crowley, a spokesperson for the institute, told CCR Blair was not paid for the appearance and that he has no role with Adnoc. She did not answer questions about whether Blair or his organisation had any current contracts with the UAE government and if it was formally involved in Cop28.

“This is a pivotal year in the fight against climate change and we will continue to support the drive towards energy transition and the practical measures necessary to meet the Paris targets, however we can,” she said.

[Rodius]

Can it get worse? Yes, of course. it can and has....

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/uae-oil-company-cop28
UAE oil company employees given roles in office hosting Cop28

Exclusive: at least 12 officials at body hosting Cop28 appear to have come straight from fossil fuel industry.

At least a dozen employees from the United Arab Emirate’s state-owned oil company have apparently taken up roles with the office of the UAE’s climate change special envoy, who will host this year’s Cop28 UN climate summit.

The revelation adds to growing concerns over the potential for blurred lines between the team hosting this year’s crucial summit and the oil-rich country’s influential fossil fuel industry.

The officials were apparently working in the UAE’s oil and gas industry immediately before taking up roles in the Cop28 team, according to an analysis of LinkedIn accounts by the independent investigative group Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR), and seen by the Guardian.

Among the officials are two former Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) engineers who will act as negotiators on behalf of the UAE at the conference, despite their LinkedIn profiles suggesting they may not have a background in international climate diplomacy.

Two of the employees have been seconded from their roles at Adnoc, according to LinkedIn accounts reviewed by CCR. Meanwhile, senior executives at the oil company have been “tasked with supporting” the UAE’s role as hosts of this year’s conference.

The findings follow the recent announcement that Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the chief executive of Adnoc, will preside over the conference in November while retaining his role at the oil company. Climate campaigners and some politicians have called for Jaber to give up his oil role while hosting the summit, to avoid any conflict of interest.

“If we don’t make some dramatic changes, Cop28 is going to be the lost climate summit,” said the US congressman Jared Huffman, who in a letter last week called on the special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, to push the UAE to remove Jaber from his post as Cop28 president. “To somehow pretend that all of these fossil fuel personnel and all of these connections are not a massive threat to the entire conference goes beyond naive.”

Sami Joost, a spokesperson for the UAE climate change special envoy, said: “The individuals who are being hired have come from a variety of backgrounds and sectors … Once in post, these individuals are entirely focused on the job of delivering Cop28 and have no obligations to their former employers.”

Adnoc did not respond to questions about its ties to the envoy.

Records also suggest at least some members of the Cop28 team may be working in the same building as the oil company. Filings with the US justice department last year listed Adnoc’s headquarters as the address for the UAE climate change special envoy. The United Nations, which organises the annual conferences, has questioned the UAE delegation about its independence from Adnoc, according to a recent Politico report.

“Staff are currently based in several different locations,” said Joost, adding that they would be moving into permanent offices in February. “In the meantime, there are clear governance guidelines in place to ensure that the team can operate entirely independently from any other entity where they may be situated.”

The UAE has said this year’s climate change conference, during which representatives from across the world will travel to Dubai to assess progress in tackling the climate emergency, will be an “inclusive Cop which brings all perspectives to the table”. The UAE has invested heavily in renewable energy but has continued to increase oil production.

Adnoc has also sought to bring on board someone with experience in international climate talks to help with “diplomatic engagement” during the conference, according to a job description seen by CCR and the Guardian. On a document headed with the Adnoc logo, the job description said the candidate would “liaise between Cop28 office and relevant UAE embassies abroad”.

One person approached for the job claimed they were told by the recruiter that Adnoc was involved in hiring for the position, even though the role appears to be entirely focused on Cop28. The recruiter also reportedly said the oil company was in the process of hiring about 100 climate policy staffers ahead of the conference.

Joost would not say whether the “diplomatic engagement” position would be part of the UAE climate change special envoy, saying he “would not comment on specific roles”.

“The aim is to bring together a team with the best possible skills and experience to allow Cop28 to deliver on all of its objectives,” he said.

The US senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who co-signed the letter to Kerry last week, said: “Time is getting short to solve the climate crisis and Cop is the only venue for finding international agreement on how to get it done. These conversations need to happen free from the malign influence of the fossil fuel industry.”

Shortly after Jaber was announced as the Cop28 president last month, the US public relations agency Edelman emailed scores of journalists touting the UAE’s investment in renewable energy. “Last year, we made a commitment to be the agency of choice for organisations dedicated to climate action,” said Michael Bush, a spokesperson for Edelman. Bush said the agency had been hired to work on Cop28 through its engagement with the Emirati renewable energy company Masdar.

Masdar is owned by Adnoc, another state-owned fossil fuel company called Taqa and an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Edelman has not disclosed how much it is being paid for the work.

The former UK prime minister Tony Blair was another source of praise for Jaber’s appointment. Blair has previously worked on behalf of the UAE, and a number of staff at his government advisory non-profit, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, are based in the country. Blair also gave the keynote speech at Adnoc’s investor forum in 2019.

Julie Crowley, a spokesperson for the institute, told CCR Blair was not paid for the appearance and that he has no role with Adnoc. She did not answer questions about whether Blair or his organisation had any current contracts with the UAE government and if it was formally involved in Cop28.

“This is a pivotal year in the fight against climate change and we will continue to support the drive towards energy transition and the practical measures necessary to meet the Paris targets, however we can,” she said.

Why are we even bothering?

Call COP28 a PR stunt and accept that nothing will happen.

[etienne]

we can always quote Greta Thunberg

A reminder: the people in power don’t need conferences, treaties or agreements to start taking real climate action. They can start today.
When enough people come together then change will come and we can achieve almost anything. So instead of looking for hope - start creating it.

https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1460159146720997377?s=20&t=5ddjBrK5hEpEHFuoxWiYdg

Things seem to move a little bit lately, but not fast enough yet.

[Garabaldi]

As I have posted previously, I find it bizarre that ASIF posters thinks change will (or should) happen without the oil producing states. If you want to take the moral high ground, Western states have just, if not more baggage, why don't we exclude them. Western States refusal to acknowledge they have caused (and been the primary beneficiaries) of green house gas emissions is the most significant block to real progress on climate change. Even in current policies I see no difference between Australia and Middle Eastern States except government subsidisation of Tesla's for the rich who need their conscious soothed. Lecturing from California won't work.

[Garabaldi]

and one last dig, shouldn't the country that produces the most oil be first line of exclusion

[kassy]

The system is locked up. We get pledges and no action or at least not the amount that is needed.
If it was a serious discussion then we would need the oil countries and the EU and the US etc but as it stands it probably will not matter. It did not matter the last round but it has it own reasons to watch it. How will we do on solidarity? About as good as on climate change.

Probably nothing will get done but these COP threads are more of a watch what they say and then see what they do later.

Then in between we complain a bit and face it COP28 is far from the best pitched one. 

[gerontocrat]

A look at the "Big Picture".

The strategy of the oil & gas industry starts to become clear, thanks to today's speech by the head of OPEC.  Sultan Al Jaber, head of national oil and gas firm Adnoc and COP28 President is likely to agree that "hydrocarbon producers must be at the forefront of climate negotiations".

Big oil is reducing its previous stated commitments to invest in renewables.

The US Government is allowing new drilling sites for oil and gas  (and the UK Government is actively encouraging bids for new drilling licenses). In China investing in renewables is high, but
 The Party also has a development goal of increasing domestic production of oil, gas and coal at least to the mid-20's.

And Africa? - the Next Big Thing for the Oil and gas industry.

So forget 43% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2019 levels by 2030, (although a small reduction may well occur).
So forget +1.5, say hullo to incoming +2.0.

COP28 looks like being a complete and utter.................................... (enter your own words).

https://headtopics.com/my/opec-chief-tells-climate-activists-to-look-at-the-big-picture-35296228
12/2/2023 3:42:00 PM
Source: The Edge Malaysia

OIL & GAS: OPEC chief tells climate activists to ‘look at the big picture’ - Bloomberg

Opec’s top official urged countries to invest much more in oil to meet the world’s future energy needs and said climate policies need to be more “balanced and fair”.“It is imperative that all parties involved in the ongoing climate negotiations pause for a moment; look at the big picture,” Haitham Al-Ghais, secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), said on Sunday at an energy conference in Cairo. They must “work towards an energy transition that is orderly..."

His comments come amid a shift among some Western governments and companies regarding fossil fuels. Prices for oil, natural gas and coal surged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, pushing energy security to the top of the agenda for many leaders.

US President Joe Biden went off-script during his State of the Union speech last week and said: “We’re going to need oil for at least another decade”.The average of the 5 Capesize timecharter routes eventually broke the US$4,000 threshold on the last day of the week, pricing at US$4,033, which is about a 15% rise compared with last Friday.

In Europe, Shell Plc signalled it will stop accelerating spending on renewable energy, while BP Plc slowed its planned reduction of oil and gas output. Opec’s Al-Ghais said the oil industry had been “plagued by several years of chronic underinvestment”.It needs US$500 billion of investment annually until 2045, he said. The United Arab Emirates’ hosting of the COP28 climate summit in late 2023 will “serve as a fresh opportunity to explore inclusive, sustainable and consensus-based solutions to climate change,” said the secretary-general, who’s from Opec member Kuwait.  The UAE, also part of Opec, has appointed Sultan Al Jaber, head of national oil and gas firm Adnoc, as president for the summit.

While that’s caused some controversy, Al Jaber has said that hydrocarbon producers must be at the forefront of climate negotiations if the world is to transition to cleaner energy, while also ensuring that fuel prices remain affordable. Al Ghais reiterated that Opec and its partners — known as Opec+, the 23-nation alliance is led by Saudi Arabia and Russia — are committed to keeping the oil market stable.

Saudi Arabia and other core Opec members are unlikely to respond to Russia’s announcement on Friday of a production cut by pumping more, Bloomberg reported.While Moscow indicated late last year that it may reduce output as a retaliation against Western sanctions, crude prices still jumped on Friday.

[etienne]

The weird thing is that the OPEC, which was never capable of staying to the agreed quotas, suddenly urge the world to keep investing in oil extraction to increase production.

To me this looks more like a message to the world that they are committed to producing enough oil at a reasonable price for our future needs, that we shouldn't worry when buying an oil heater or a ICE car.

This resonates with the fast decarbonization that Europe tries to achieve because of the tensions with Russia.

[kassy]

They might see it coming. The last thing we can use is more investments in fossil fuels without an exit strategy.

So forget 43% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2019 levels by 2030, (although a small reduction may well occur).
So forget +1.5, say hullo to incoming +2.0.

So far we are aiming for 2,3 to 2,7. It will be interesting to see the effects of 1,4C or so in 2024. It seems a big part of the world still thinks it will not be such a big deal.

We actually never worked out what level of temperature rise we can stand as a society. It´s pretty hard so we are running this crude test...and we are too poor to lobby for an actual future for our kids. The amount of work they need to do is disgusting already which is why we should go for that fast decline but some have other plans.

[Rodius]

They might see it coming. The last thing we can use is more investments in fossil fuels without an exit strategy.

So forget 43% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2019 levels by 2030, (although a small reduction may well occur).
So forget +1.5, say hullo to incoming +2.0.

So far we are aiming for 2,3 to 2,7. It will be interesting to see the effects of 1,4C or so in 2024. It seems a big part of the world still thinks it will not be such a big deal.

We actually never worked out what level of temperature rise we can stand as a society. It´s pretty hard so we are running this crude test...and we are too poor to lobby for an actual future for our kids. The amount of work they need to do is disgusting already which is why we should go for that fast decline but some have other plans.

I doubt the global civilization will cope with +2C.

There are already regions around the world that are in trouble, Bangladesh is the highlight in my mind, but the US has States where insurers are exiting the market, there are beachfront properties in Australia with the same situation, there are storms lining up over cities and hitting them... Auckland is getting now for example, but several cities in the US have the same problem but are hurricanes.

The cost of one event is difficult, but several in one year or even one large event every few years will bankrupt cities and States.

And we arent even at +1.5C yet.

My son actually asked me a few days ago why we didn't prepare infrastructure for some events. My simple answer was it costs too much, the more complicated answer is we arent paying enough for the civilization that we have. Basically, we are doomed to fail globally even with climate change, what hope does it have with the added expenses?

[kassy]

Sometimes there is simply not enough space and there are conflicting interests.

In the Netherlands we are good at drainage into the sea because that was the historical thing but with the current long term drought it would be nice to catch some water but most areas are drained so the land can be worked so we can´t flood them. We have our dikes (and off shore sand suppletion) but at some point those are not going to help.

Before that becomes a problem the rising sea will push water much further inland in the open rivers which will make it saltier and it intrudes below at the coasts while the rivers themselves lose flow because more gets taken out and over time and the Alpine component is going to disappear as a meaningful contribution.

You can´t really build for that.

And Pakistan is an even better example. A very dry region got totally flooded out.

Sane people would have prevented this but on too the talking points of COP28 in next post.

[kassy]

UAE’s Cop28 boss calls for “course correction” on climate change

...

he United Arab Emirates (UAE) climate envoy and designated president of the Cop28 climate summit said on Tuesday that the world needed a “course correction” to limit global warming.

“We already know that we are way off track,” Sultan al-Jaber told the World Government Summit in Dubai.

“The world is playing catch-up when it comes to holding global temperatures down to 1.5 degrees and the hard reality is that global emissions must fall 43% by 2030,” he said, referring to the goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“We need a major course correction,” he added.

In spite of this, the UAE, a major oil exporter, has also called for a slower transition away from fossil fuels in the past. “The future is clean but it is not here yet,” Jaber told an oil conference in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

The country is expanding oil and gas production, which the International Energy Agency has said is incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5C.

...

International agenda

On Loss and Damage, one of the critical issues of Cop27, Jaber said “capital is critical to make the loss and damage fund real and operational and it is the key to a fair deal on climate finance for the Global South”, referring to developing nations.

...

Although it is a wealthy nation which has contributed more than most to climate change, the UAE will likely not be asked to pay into the fund as it is classified by the UN as a developing country.

...

https://www.climatechangenews.com/2023/02/14/uae-cop28-boss-calls-for-course-correction-on-climate-change/

[gerontocrat]

The COP28 farce becomes a tragedy?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/04/revealed-uae-plans-huge-oil-and-gas-expansion-as-it-hosts-un-climate-summit
Revealed: UAE plans huge oil and gas expansion as it hosts UN climate summit

Exclusive: UAE’s fossil fuel boss will be the president of Cop28, making a mockery of the summit, say campaigners

The United Arab Emirates, which is hosting this year’s UN climate summit, has the third biggest net zero-busting plans for oil and gas expansion in the world, the Guardian can reveal. Its plans are surpassed only by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The CEO of the UAE’s national oil company, Adnoc, has been controversially appointed president of the UN’s Cop28 summit in December, which is seen as crucial with time running out to end the climate crisis. But Sultan Al Jaber is overseeing expansion to produce oil and gas equivalent to 7.5bn barrels of oil, according to new data, 90% of which would have to remain in the ground to meet the net zero scenario set out by the International Energy Agency.

Adnoc is the world’s 11th biggest oil and gas producer and delivered more than a billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) in 2021. However, the company has big short-term expansion plans, the new analysis shows, with plans to add 7.6 BBOE to its production portfolio in the coming years – the fifth largest increase in the world.

The data was produced for the Guardian by Urgewald, a German NGO, from its Gogel database. This is based on data from Rystad Energy, the industry standard source but not available to the public, and accessed in September 2022.

In November 2022, Adnoc announced a $150bn investment over five years to enable an “accelerated growth strategy” for oil and gas production. Independent experts rate the UAE’s climate targets and policies as “highly insufficient”, while the UN secretary general recently called for the “ceasing [of] all licensing or funding of new oil and gas”.

Recent statements by Al Jaber also appear difficult to reconcile with Adnoc’s huge plans for new oil and gas production. At a “Road to Cop28” conference in Dubai on 15 March, Al Jaber said: “We [the world] have to rapidly reduce emissions.” The following day, at an International Energy Agency roundtable event, he said: “Oil and gas companies need to align around net zero.” In February, Al Jaber said: “We in the UAE are not shying away from the energy transition. We are running towards it.”

Just 10% of Adnoc’s expansion is compatible with the IEA’s scenario for the world to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The IEA said the 2050 goal requires no new oil and gas projects to be approved after 2021, but 90% of the oil and gas expansion being planned by Adnoc were advanced after this date and would have to stay in the ground to be compatible.

Adnoc’s “overshoot” of the IEA net zero scenario is therefore 6.8bn BBOE, the third largest worldwide. Saudi Aramco has the largest overshoot, with 11.4 BBOE, and QatarEnergy is second with 7.6 BBOE.
(see attached image)

The short-term expansion plans included in the analysis are fields in which production and operation plans are being developed, the final investment decision has been taken or wells are being drilled before the start of production. Fields in these categories normally begin pumping oil and gas within seven years. The Gogel database includes 901 companies that explore for and produce oil and gas, and covers 97% of short-term expansion plans.

Some of the largest developments that are not in line with the IEA net zero scenario will take place as part of the Upper Zakum project, off the coast of the UEA. Adnoc describes the extension of production in the Upper Zakum field as a “mega-project” and the “second-largest offshore oilfield in the world”. It involves “the construction of four artificial islands in shallow water [which] can accommodate 450 wells, 90 platforms, as well as drilling rigs, processing facilities, and infrastructure,” Adnoc said.

Independent experts at Climate Action Tracker have concluded that the UEA’s fossil fuel expansion plans are not consistent with limiting global heating to 1.5C and rate the UAE’s climate targets and policies as “highly insufficient”. The recent major report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, approved by all the world’s governments, warned that the carbon emissions from the world’s already existing fossil fuel projects would alone be enough to drive the climate past 1.5C.

Nils Bartsch at Urgewald said: “The new data shows the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber as president of Cop28 is a mockery of Cop as an institution. Appointing an oil and gas executive as Cop president displays a complete lack of awareness of the problems at hand. It is a fatal political signal to the world.”

“The climate emergency needs actions, not words,” said Tasneem Essop, executive director of Climate Action Network International. “While Al Jaber has been calling for bold actions to stay below 1.5C, his deeds do not match his rhetoric. His conflicting role as CEO of Adnoc begs the question: is Al Jaber able to play an objective role in securing an ambitious outcome at Cop28, which makes it clear there can be no new fossil fuel projects?”

Essop, and other campaigners, have called for Al Jaber to resign from his Adnoc role, with some comparing his presidency of Cop28 as “putting the head of a tobacco company in charge of negotiating an anti-smoking treaty”. Others involved in UN climate talks have been less frank, given the likely need to work with Al Jaber in future.

Laurence Tubiana, a former French diplomat and leading architect of the Paris climate agreement in 2015, said: “All countries and energy companies must heed the IEA and the IPCC’s warnings or risk compromising decades of diplomatic efforts as well as our collective security on this planet.

“The Cop28 presidency bears huge responsibility to show the way in bridging the gap between the Paris goals and today’s insufficient climate plans,” she said. ”As a major oil exporter, this is the UAE’s chance to demonstrate what post-fossil leadership looks like.”

Christiana Figueres, the UN’s top climate official when the Paris deal was signed, said: “We know that the UAE is an economy based on hydrocarbons and we also know there is now no room for new fossil fuels. While it is not easy for Dr Sultan, it is important for the president of every Cop to be science-driven and I hope the UAE will take the leadership opportunity this presents.”

A spokesperson for Adnoc said: “The world requires a diverse mix of solutions to accelerate the energy transition while ensuring sustainable economic development and meeting growing global energy demand. With the world’s population expected to grow to more than 8.5 billion by 2030, we are investing in capacity to enable us to meet future demand with some of the least carbon-intensive barrels available.

“Adnoc will remain a responsible and reliable supplier of energy, laser focused on reducing the carbon intensity of every barrel it produces and continue to contribute to global emissions’ reduction through its expansion into new energies,” the spokesperson said. The carbon intensity of oil or gas is the CO2 emitted per unit in producing the fuel and does not include the far greater emissions generated when the fuel is burned.

Al Jaber is also UAE’s special envoy for climate change, but a request for comment did not receive a response. He is also the founding CEO of Masdar, a government-owned renewable energy company. It says it is one of the largest developers of renewable energy projects in the world and has invested more than $30bn (£24.2bn) in mainly solar and wind power projects since 2006.

Alden Meyer at the thinktank E3G, who has attended the UN climate talks since they began in 1991, said Al Jaber’s presidency of Cop28 and CEO role at Adnoc “clearly does pose a conflict of interest”. Meyer said: “Perhaps Dr Al Jaber is positioned to be the one that finally pushes the oil and gas industry to get with the [clean energy] transition. But I’m sceptical.”

[Freegrass]

Those COPs have become a joke. I don't take them serious anymore. We're at 28 now, and CO2 levels keep rising at an accelerated rate. It's time to give up on them... And while I write that, I'm thinking; They won... Big oil ruined it, and they won, because people like you and me don't take them serious anymore. That's just what they wanted...

Maybe it's time for Greenpeace, the WWF, and other organizations like that to start organizing their own events with scientists and real green entrepreneurs? Like the people from Xlinks, Fortescue, and real green investors? I don't know really... I give up... Game over...


I've watched this video yesterday, with the CEO from Xlinks. People like this are really trying hard. Lets bring all these people together and really make a change. No need anymore for IPCC reports. We're fucked. We know that already. So lets stop telling people how bad it is, and lets start doing something about it. We have the technology now. So lets start building. We know what needs to be done. We need to end fossil fuel subsidies. That's the second video. Scandalous and infuriating... 

[kassy]

Well the point is also having governments there and them working out what to do but the Paris pledges were a joke too.

[gerontocrat]

Well the point is also having governments there and them working out what to do but the Paris pledges were a joke too.

Governments know what to do & how to do it.

But the UK Government is actively asssisting Big OIL & GAS to drill, baby, drill.

Short-term Politics based on self(ish)-interest beats existential threats every time.

[Freegrass]

Well the point is also having governments there and them working out what to do but the Paris pledges were a joke too.

Governments know what to do & how to do it.

But the UK Government is actively asssisting Big OIL & GAS to drill, baby, drill.

Short-term Politics based on self(ish)-interest beats existential threats every time.

Exactly Gero. The governments have failed us. The united nations, aka the international community has failed us. Maybe it's time for good old capitalism to take over now. It makes perfect sense. Wind and solar is cheaper than fossil fuels now, so it doesn't make any sense anymore to keep investing in fossil fuels. It makes more sense to invest in RE, and we see that happening now. We just need to accelerate it. And how do you do that? By creating a bigger lobby for RE. Fossil fuel capitalism still has a stranglehold on governments. It's time renewable energy capitalism took over now. It's high time... So let them come together, without interference of the fossil fuel lobby like we're seeing at the COPs. They're the old way of doing things. It's time for a new way to do things... What have we got to lose?

[gerontocrat]

Step by step.....................

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/03/25/world/science-health-world/un-climate-change-report-china-u-s/
How China, the U.S. and others watered down a key U.N. climate document

China, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are among countries that significantly altered a United Nations document that will shape global climate policy for years to come, according to an account of international negotiations preceding its release.

The report published this week was written by Earth Negotiations Bulletin, the only news organization allowed to observe proceedings when 195 nations gathered to approve a summary of climate science findings over the last five years. The document they were debating, meant to advise policymakers, is separate from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s much longer report, which is purely technical and isn’t vetted line-by-line by country negotiators.

The IPCC report stressed that continuing to burn fossil fuels threatens human well-being and the stability of much of life on Earth, with the chance of avoiding the most severe impacts moving rapidly out of reach. One of the most controversial conclusions was that greenhouse gas emissions have to be cut by 60%, and carbon dioxide pollution has to fall 65% by 2035 from 2019 levels for a 50% chance of keeping global temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. That’s the target that global leaders agreed on in the landmark Paris Agreement and what scientists say is needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Chinese negotiators successfully lobbied to delete a reference to those exact reductions in the final summary for policymakers, ENB reported, though they did agree to have the numbers included in an adjacent chart. China, the world’s biggest emitter of planet-warming gases on an annual basis, aims to reach peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon-neutrality by 2060.

This amendment was not unusual and is part of the IPCC’s process to review reports, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The revised statement makes the relevant conclusions clearer and easier to read and understand, she said.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, “strongly opposed” the inclusion of a sentence saying the use of fossil fuels is the “root cause” of climate change, according to ENB. The Middle Eastern nation also objected to several references to the challenges faced by technologies designed to suck carbon from the atmosphere, the ENB report said. In the end, one reference was included.Saudi Arabia has been a strong advocate for carbon-capture technology, which would in theory allow for more fossil fuels to be burned while staying within the Paris Agreement’s temperature limit.

But the process is extremely energy intensive and expensive, and has yet to reach the scale needed to cut emissions fast enough. Climate models show that cutting the use of highly polluting fuels would be a more effective way to tame emissions this decade. A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S., the largest historical emitter, opposed a request from India, Bolivia and China to include a sentence that suggested transfers of technology would be one determinant of how quickly and deeply emissions are cut around the world. Developed countries have long been sensitive to wording about technology transfer because of intellectual property issues.

The U.S. State Department declined to comment. A senior administration official defended the final IPCC summary for policymakers, saying it was clear about the critical message.

An initial version of the ENB account said representatives from oil-rich Norway forced a change on a section referring to the need for “deep, rapid, and sustained” greenhouse gas emissions reductions starting this decade. The final wording just stresses the need for “strong” emissions reductions.

The text was changed following a discussion among IPCC members, and not at Norway’s request, a Norwegian official said in an email. An updated ENB story removed the reference to Norway requesting that change.

Norway supported stressing the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also agreed that the idea was sufficiently reflected in other parts of the document, Ole-Kristian Kvissel from the Norwegian Environment Agency told Bloomberg on Thursday.

The detailed discussions on wording, footnotes and charts meant negotiations in the Swiss town of Interlaken went into overtime. As the hours passed, delegates from nations who didn’t have the resources to extend their stay left. This situation, common in past climate negotiations, meant no delegates from Africa or South America — some of the world’s regions most impacted by climate change — were present in the room.

That led the rest of the negotiators to agree to avoid changing anything in the text unless absolutely necessary, with many saying that adding or removing key information would not be fair to those who were not present, according to ENB.

[Freegrass]

How China, the U.S. and others watered down a key U.N. climate document

These are crimes against humanity, and should be global headline news. But nobody will find out...
I'm gonna send it to our news desk here, but I'm sure they'll keep it quiet...

It's sickening... They're killing us...   😢

[sidd]

"delegates from nations who didn’t have the resources to extend their stay left. This situation, common in past climate negotiations, meant no delegates from Africa or South America — some of the world’s regions most impacted by climate change — were present in the room."

That's pretty sad.

sidd

[vox_mundi]

[gerontocrat]

It looks to me as if Al Jaber is setting up COP28 so everything is decided before it starts.

Methinks we are going to see a lot of Big Oil & Big Gas sitting at the High Table at COP28.

Methinks we are going to see a lot of statements about Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) as a major component of investments in "clean energy".

Major investments for development of Hydrogen is being touted - which to be green hydrogen needs huge anounts of wind+solar energy for electrolysis . This in turn means that we will need lots of "clean energy" from fossil fuels which naturally development of CCS can provide.

There are enough rich Governments in favour of this (the USA, the UK, China, Middle East etc) to railroad the agenda through. I hope I am wrong.


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/07/cop28-president-world-needs-business-mindset-tackle-climate-crisis-sultan-al-jaber
Cop28 president: world needs business mindset to tackle climate crisis

Exclusive: Sultan Al Jaber aims to use UN talks to set out how private sector can limit greenhouse gas emissions

Sultan Al Jaber: ‘The scale of the problem requires everyone working in solidarity. We need partnerships, not polarisation.’ Photograph: Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images

The world needs a “business mindset” to tackle the climate crisis, the president of the next UN climate summit has said.

Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of the Cop28 summit to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates later this year, said he aimed to use the UN talks to set out how the private sector can limit greenhouse gas emissions and give businesses and governments a clear set of tasks and targets.

“We need a major course correction and a massive effort to reignite progress. This cannot be done by governments alone,” Al Jaber told the Guardian in a rare interview, his first with a global newspaper since taking on the Cop28 role.

“The scale of the problem requires everyone working in solidarity. We need partnerships, not polarisation, and we need to approach this with a clear-eyed rationale and executable plan of action.” he said.

“Cop28 is committed to building on the progress made at Cop26 and Cop27 to inject a business mindset, concrete KPIs [key performance indicators, a cornerstone of most commercial strategies] and an ambitious action-oriented agenda.”

Al Jaber, as well as being the UAE minister for industry and advanced technology, is better known as a businessman, chief executive of the UAE national oil company, Adnoc, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas producers, and the founding chief executive of its renewable energy company Masdar.

He was a deeply controversial choice to chair these crucial talks, at which governments will assess progress made on cutting greenhouse gas emissions since the 2015 Paris agreement, a process known as the “global stocktake”. They must then try to find ways to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, a target rapidly slipping beyond reach. The conferences have traditionally been dominated by policymakers, ministers and politicians, and civil society activists.

Adnoc is planning a massive expansion of oil and gas, the Guardian revealed last week. Climate activists from around the world have attacked Al Jaber for not renouncing his Adnoc role.

Romain Ioualalen, the global policy manager at the campaign group Oil Change International, said: “This is a truly breathtaking conflict of interest and is tantamount to putting the head of a tobacco company in charge of negotiating an anti-smoking treaty.”

But Al Jaber said no one should prejudge his presidency, as he was committed to safeguarding the 1.5C limit and ensuring that all countries, and the private sector, would act to achieve the massive emissions cuts necessary.

He vowed to turn his business background into an asset for the talks, saying that no previous Cop president had come with such entrepreneurial and management experience. He pointed to the UAE’s achievements in renewable energy, overseas development aid, in diversifying beyond oil so that 75% of its GDP was now non-oil based, and said that would enable him to motivate other oil-producing countries to come up with similar plans.

“The UAE intends to build this same business case for climate action at Cop28,” he said. “We know we need to engage the private sector fully and unlock the trillions of dollars that are needed. This requires a business plan that outlines key deliverables with concrete KPIs; it requires reliable and sufficient capital, and it requires coordinated collective action.”

He wants the private sector to play a significant role at the summit, arguing that companies – including oil and gas firms – will be pivotal to tackling the climate crisis.

“The energy sector must work as a partner with other sectors to help decarbonise entire economies,” he said.

One longtime attender of Cop summits and adviser to governments said Al Jaber’s plans to take a more businesslike approach to Cop28 were “very much how his mind works”. They said: “I think it works up to a point. But for some issues like adaptation and loss and damage [the key issue of providing funds to rescue countries afflicted by climate breakdown] the business plan analogy may only get you so far.”

His plans are unlikely to find favour with climate activists at the talks. Tasneem Essop, the director of Climate Action Network, accused Al Jaber of fundamentally misunderstanding his role, despite having been a longtime member of the UAE’s diplomatic team attending Cops.

“This is a UN conference, and a separate process from any engagement with businesses,” she said. “If he wants to convene ‘stakeholders’ and engage with fossil fuel companies, he can do that in his own time. He must do that separately from the UN process.”

She said activists were prejudging Al Jaber based on his probable handling of the Cop president role, as an oil industry chief executive, and on his eagerness to engage with business. “There needs to be a firewall between his role as CEO and role as Cop president,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to understand his role as Cop president, and that’s what our prejudgment is based on.”

Al Jaber also spoke to the Guardian of the need to invest in new technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS), which some activists are likely to find controversial. “I want to make sure that Cop28 becomes a rallying point for partnerships across every region to commercialise hydrogen production, transportation and industrial use,” he said.

CCS technologies have been seen by many climate scientists and experts as a distraction, and one championed by the oil industry to keep its operations going. Al Jaber disagrees, pointing to the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which in its comprehensive report last month noted that carbon capture would be needed in some form, particularly in the likely event of an overshoot of the 1.5C limit.

“We also need to exponentially expand carbon capture technologies,” said Al Jaber. “The IPCC has been saying since 2016 that carbon capture is an essential tool for keeping temperature rises in check. Yet there is only 44m tonnes of carbon captured annually. We need to multiply that amount by 30. This is a huge undertaking that is currently just not affordable. We need progressive, smart government regulation and policies to incentivise private investment on an industrial scale.”

Al Jaber also called for overhaul of the World Bank and other international financial institutions, a push that could be widely supported before Cop28, as many governments of developed and developing countries and civil society groups are clamouring for fundamental change to the way public financial institutions deal with the climate crisis.

David Malpass, the outgoing World Bank president, appointed by Donald Trump in 2019 and accused of being a climate denier, resigned in February. He is being replaced by Ajay Banga, a former banker who is expected to usher in sweeping changes to expand climate finance, to be prefigured at the World Bank spring meetings next week.

Both public finance and private will be needed, to shift the global economy to a low-carbon footing, Al Jaber said. “The common threat to all the progress I am talking about is capital,” he said. “Last year $1.4tn was invested in clean technology globally. We need four times that amount. And we need to make sure that investment reaches the most vulnerable communities across the global south.

“The bottom line is finance needs to be much more available, accessible and affordable. We need to stop talking about a just transition for the global south, and start delivering.”

[Freegrass]

Well... Let's see what he does... I've already spoken out my disgust about all this before, and no COP before has ever been able to lower CO2 emissions...

So it can't get any worse right? Can it? Maybe this guy can convince the bad guys to make a change? Who knows...

We can't deny the fact that the world will keep using oil and gas for a long time to come... Cars will still need gas for at least a decade or more... So maybe capturing the CO2 could be a good thing? Just as long as there's a plan to end fossil fuels? Which I doubt... But maybe they'll come to their senses now? Maybe by handing them the keys to the castle they will see how bad it is?

Like I said; No COP has ever been able to make a change before... So let's see if this guy can do it... Maybe big oil will listen to him... We can only hope, right? But I highly doubt it...

[kassy]

Isn´t this the one that is about mitigation? So big oil wants money related to that.
We will see what gets pledged this time.

[Freegrass]

Isn´t this the one that is about mitigation? So big oil wants money related to that.
We will see what gets pledged this time.

The people before him achieve nothing... So what could go wrong? How much worse can it get?
At least the world can then put a face on their disgust if this guy fails again... And he should be smart enough to know that, right?

Or do I still have too much faith in the good side of people?

[etienne]

Maybe we should start thinking that a top down management of AGW is not possible. If it was, Youth for Future, Extinction Rebellion and similar organizations would have started the process.
Looks like a new bottom up strategy is needed, where people just stop consuming more than what they really need, something like a "just one earth" challenge.
Major changes have always been bottom up events, for example new religions, new political systems, the end of the European colonization... people having power have too much interest in the system to break it down when needed for the common good.
 

[Freegrass]

Maybe we should start thinking that a top down management of AGW is not possible. If it was, Youth for Future, Extinction Rebellion and similar organizations would have started the process.
Looks like a new bottom up strategy is needed, where people just stop consuming more than what they really need, something like a "just one earth" challenge.
Major changes have always been bottom up events, for example new religions, new political systems, the end of the European colonization... people having power have too much interest in the system to break it down when needed for the common good.

In the case of AGW it'll be economics and catastrophes that will be pushing the change IMHO. Too much destruction is already happening, costing handfuls of money to insurance companies and governments. Everybody knows by now that fossil fuels are a dead end. We're running out, and solar and wind is now a lot cheaper. So I've decided I'm gonna embrace big oil taking charge of the COP and the energy transition this one time. Like I said before; No COP has been able to make a change. CO2 levels are still going up more every year. And I have a feeling that some big oil companies really want to transition. For them, all that matters is making money, so now they see an opportunity to make money with renewables. Especially hydrogen. But only on their terms! So let's see what they propose at the COP28. Let's keep pushing them to really make that change, from the bottom up. People are demanding it. Nature is demanding it. Voters are demanding it. And insurance companies must be demanding it too by now. What have we got to lose? Let them give it a go this one time. The world be watching... If they fail again, it'll be on them.

[kassy]

Maybe we should start thinking that a top down management of AGW is not possible. If it was, Youth for Future, Extinction Rebellion and similar organizations would have started the process.

That is not really a logical argument. The Schoolstrike for Climate and XR are just small groups.
Top down is the way we have to go because no nation can do it alone so we will all have to cooperate.

Looks like a new bottom up strategy is needed, where people just stop consuming more than what they really need, something like a "just one earth" challenge.

Would the majority do that? And then people have very different levels of things they need. Some need that hot tub or they need to wash the car. It sounds nice but it is not going to make a dent.

The big global problem blocking top down solutions is oil and gas tie to money and thus power. It is those vested interests that remove things from the reports as mentioned above.

The solution is not at the consumer level although every bit helps but a little top down incentive would not hurt to get to lighter cars and batteries, better isolated homes etc.

And in the grand scheme of things two really large nations need the technology and other backup to exit coal much faster then they project now. None of this can be be done by some consumers.

[etienne]

Well, I'm not sure you're right. Earth overshoot day for 2022 is on July 28th, with 2018 the earliest in human history, and so many people are not living in high CO2 emitting countries, so lighter cars and better isolated houses won't be enough, we need a reduction of the consumption of the high CO2 emitter.
I agree that it is hard to define what is needed, and what is comfort, it might even be different depending of your job and your house, if you have a new EV or an old ICE... but I don't feel that the required push will come from the top, so the way to achieve it would be to reduce the market for big cars by not buying it, to reduce the market for electronic products by using the existing ones longer...
I don't think that anybody would run for an election and promise that the number of planes in the sky would during his time in office be reduced by even only 10% or by promising higher taxes on SUV and light trucks (I'm not talking of forbidding it excepted for people proving they need it).

https://www.overshootday.org/

[Freegrass]

Whatever we save as consumers in the western world gets spend in the developing world, where people want to have what we have. Europa has reduced it's CO2 emissions in 2020 by 34 % compared to 1990 levels according to this website. So a lot has been done already, but it's not nearly enough...

[kassy]

That is also missing some perspective. We reduced our emissions from way more then most other people ever emitted by outsourcing a lot of the industry.

[vox_mundi]

[NeilT]

Whatever we save as consumers in the western world gets spend in the developing world, where people want to have what we have. Europa has reduced it's CO2 emissions in 2020 by 34 % compared to 1990 levels according to this website. So a lot has been done already, but it's not nearly enough...

You have to be extremely careful quoting Covid lockdown figures.  Also quoting EU figures too because the UK was in the EU figures from 1990 to Jan 2020 and are counted for the whole of 2020 under the Kyoto Protocol.  The UK was 15.8% of EU emissions in 1990 and the UK had reduced emissions by over 50% in 20920 falling to 47.6% at 2021.

Looking back to 2019, with the UK, EU emissions reduction was less than 24%.  I'm assuming that 27% in 2021 still includes the UK as the impact of the loss of the UK reductions would be quite large.

The problem is that the article states EU 27 but doesn't show the 1990 and 2021 absolute emissions values which can be compared.

Hard to get a figure which is true to the 2022 reality.

[gerontocrat]

Because I am registered with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to get access to their data, I get occasional emails from them.

The latest shows how the IEA are doing a pretty good job of a takeover of COP 28.  there is a bid for subsidies for direct air capture of CO2. Also of interest is that oil and gas companies responsible for less than half of world oil and gas production have announced plans to reduce emissions from operations, and most of them rely on offsets (= greenwashing).

Extracts follow....

IEA to address world leaders on energy and climate challenges at G7 Summit in Hiroshima
Next weekend, the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, will bring together global leaders at a crucial moment for international efforts to strengthen energy security and tackle climate change amid complex geopolitical challenges.
 
Our Executive Director, Fatih Birol, will be speaking at the G7 Summit on these issues alongside the leaders of Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom – as well as those of Australia, Brazil, Comoros, the Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Korea and Vietnam, who have been invited to the Summit.
 
The IEA has already contributed to the G7’s energy and climate agenda across a range of key areas, including critical minerals, clean energy technology manufacturing, renewables, energy efficiency, hydrogen, natural gas markets and more. This week, ahead of the Hiroshima Summit, we will be publishing an update on the state of play with global clean technology manufacturing, building on the agenda-setting analysis of our Energy Technology Perspectives 2023.

COP28 is a “moment of truth” for the oil and gas industry on climate

Taking oil and gas out of the ground, processing it, and delivering it to consumers accounts for almost 15% of global energy-related emissions – more than all the emissions produced by the United States or twice the emissions of the entire European Union. Our latest report, Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations in Net Zero Transitions, shows how the oil and gas industry can slash these emissions by 60% between now and 2030, using just a fraction of the windfall income accrued from record energy prices in 2022.
 
In a new commentary, our Executive Director highlights that this year’s COP28 Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates, a major oil and gas producer, is a unique opportunity for the industry to demonstrate a real commitment to cutting emissions.
 
“The oil and gas industry has the technologies, the money and the know-how to cut its emissions by 60% by 2030. And it has the responsibility to do so,” Dr Birol writes. “This is a moment of truth: if the oil and gas industry wants to be taken seriously in climate discussions, it has to clean up its act.”
 
Our report identifies five key levers to achieve this reduction: tackling methane emissions; eliminating all non-emergency flaring; electrifying upstream facilities with low-emissions electricity; equipping oil and gas processes with carbon capture, utilisation and storage; and expanding the use of low-emissions hydrogen in refineries.
 
Read Dr Birol’s commentary and our news article on the report, and explore the full report. We’ll also be publishing a broader special report ahead of COP28 that will help map out a path for oil and gas producers in the transition to net zero emissions.

Direct air capture, a technology that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is expected to play a role in global efforts to reach net zero emissions. In a new commentary, our analysts examine the policy tools that could scale up the technology, including tax credits, public procurement, reverse auctions, advanced market commitments, loans and loan guarantees, and support to enable transport and storage infrastructure.

https://www.iea.org/commentaries/unlocking-the-potential-of-direct-air-capture-is-scaling-up-through-carbon-markets-possible

Cutting emissions must remain the primary route to net zero by 2050…
To meet the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement, the global energy system needs a structural transformation to reduce emissions to as close to zero as possible. The IEA Net Zero by 2050 (NZE) Scenario calls for marshalling all opportunities to decarbonise the energy sector, stressing that while all available clean energy technologies must be deployed this decade to put emissions into a structural decline, further innovation efforts are needed. Nearly half of the reductions in 2050 in the NZE Scenario come from technologies that today are only at the demonstration or prototype phase.

…but a major scale-up of direct air capture is still essential
Even with new technologies, some residual emissions will remain because sectors such as heavy industry and aviation are harder to decarbonise, and therefore there is an unavoidable need for carbon removal. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) includes technology-based solutions such as direct air capture with storage (DACS) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS); nature-based options such as afforestation and reforestation; and speeding up naturally occurring processes, such as enhanced weathering.

The NZE Scenario calls for a substantial scale-up of global CDR. The capacity of DAC‑based technologies (for both CO2 storage and CO2 utilisation) needs to increase from less than 0.01 million tonnes of CO2 a year (MtCO2/year) today to around 70 MtCO2/year in 2030, and to approximately 600 Mt CO2/year in 2050, which is equivalent the total energy-related CO2 emissions from Indonesia in 2021.

[NeilT]

Deal with the 15%, brush the 85% under the carpet.....

OK not sniffing at the reduction in CO2, I just think that attacking the base of the iceberg is better than cutting the tip off.

[Freegrass]

...the oil and gas industry can slash these emissions by 60% between now and 2030, using just a fraction of the windfall income accrued from record energy prices in 2022.

Amen to that! Let's see what they come up with at this COP. They have one last chance to do the right thing now, or they will never be taken serious again... Not that I ever took these criminals serious, but I'm giving them one last chance to show the world that they are serious about climate change...

[Rodius]

...the oil and gas industry can slash these emissions by 60% between now and 2030, using just a fraction of the windfall income accrued from record energy prices in 2022.

Amen to that! Let's see what they come up with at this COP. They have one last chance to do the right thing now, or they will never be taken serious again... Not that I ever took these criminals serious, but I'm giving them one last chance to show the world that they are serious about climate change...

Their intent is the same... profits are all costs.
It started when they hid the climate change results beack in the 1960s and began the denial process not long after when it was being made public.

This is just more of the same thing... there is no hope now, just consequences.

[Freegrass]

...the oil and gas industry can slash these emissions by 60% between now and 2030, using just a fraction of the windfall income accrued from record energy prices in 2022.

Amen to that! Let's see what they come up with at this COP. They have one last chance to do the right thing now, or they will never be taken serious again... Not that I ever took these criminals serious, but I'm giving them one last chance to show the world that they are serious about climate change...

Their intent is the same... profits are all costs.
It started when they hid the climate change results beack in the 1960s and began the denial process not long after when it was being made public.

This is just more of the same thing... there is no hope now, just consequences.

That depends. Some oil companies are already seeing that oil is a dead end, and are looking for alternatives now. But companies like Exxon will of course keep ignoring the obvious...

Like I said; let's see what happens at this COP. I am open to be pleasantly surprised, but I also know that I'll probably be disappointed again. One thing is for sure, they can't hide in backrooms again at this COP. They are on the forefront now, and the world will be watching.