An oil boss will lead the next world climate conference. As scandalous as that may seem, it’s also pragmatic, says expert David Ryfisch in an interview.
It goes from one desert to the next: what is probably the most important summit in the world will take place in 2023 on the Persian Gulf. More precisely: in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which also includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The country takes over from Egypt as host of the UN World Climate Conference; the preparations on Dubai’s Expo site have been underway for a long time. Only recently, however, has it become known who the Emirates have chosen as the official face, mediator and encourager for the meeting: Sultan Ahmed al-Dschabir – a highly controversial choice.
Because al-Dschabir is the acting managing director of the largest oil company in the UAE, the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
Nevertheless, the 49-year-old is to take over the chair of the conference at this year’s UN climate meeting. For some, the personnel is a scandal, for the oil state a chance to say: The coal may go, the oil stays. In an interview with t-online, David Ryfisch, an expert on international climate policy at the NGO Germanwatch, explains why criticism is justified and why the Emirates’ decision is nevertheless clever.
t-online: The CEO of an oil company will lead the 2023 World Climate Conference. Is that as fatal as it sounds?
David Ryfisch: It has happened that the chairman of a UN climate conference had a past in the oil business. But there has never been an active oil boss as climate chief. That’s a bit like a sugar producer drafting health policy.
Sultan al-Jabir has repeatedly made it clear that his country wants to produce even more oil in the future. How big is the risk that, as conference leader, he could slow down stronger climate protection instead of pushing it?
Of course, the Sultan’s profile overshadows the preparations. However, it would be wrong to assume that the oil and gas lobby will dominate the upcoming climate conference. There are many progressive countries and civil society actors who are pushing for a faster fossil fuel phase-out. I hope there is enough back pressure.
Isn’t an oil-loving host country sending exactly the wrong signal?
On the one hand, the United Nations does not have much say in the choice of venue, the principle of rotation decides. This year it is the turn of the Asia regional group, where South Korea withdrew its bid in favor of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE probably wants to support South Korea’s candidacy for Expo 2030. On the other hand, the prosperity of the Emirates comes from oil, but you still don’t have tunnel vision there.
One must not look at the country too one-dimensionally. There is not only investment in oil and gas, but also massive investments in renewable energies and climate-friendly technologies.
What are you up to?
In Dubai, for example, one of the largest solar power plants in the world is connected to the grid. The green electricity from the system is unbeatably cheap – a kilowatt hour sometimes costs just 2.4 cents. The neighboring Emirate of Abu Dhabi also has one of the largest photovoltaic systems in the world. And the UAE is investing billions in a gigantic wind power project in Egypt, near Cairo.
At the same time, the UAE is one of the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the world.
Absolutely, but there is also a lot at stake in terms of climate and finances: the average shade temperatures in summer are already more than 40 degrees and will continue to rise as a result of climate change. And the huge profits from the oil and gas business will not last – the golden age of oil and gas is already over, according to the International Energy Agency. The Emirates are therefore also among the pioneers in the energy transition in the region.
