UAE appoints technologist to lead upcoming UN COP28 climate talks

Those revenues fuel the ambitions of the coalition of seven emirates in the Arabian Peninsula — and the production of more heat-trapping carbon dioxide that U.N. negotiations hope to limit.

But al-Jaber also has experience in renewable energy. He led a once-ambitious project to build a $22 billion car-free “carbon-neutral” city on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, but later scaled back its ambitions after the global financial crisis hit the UAE hard in 2008. Even today, he remains chairman of Masdar, a clean energy company that grew out of this project and now operates in more than 40 countries.

“Sultan al-Jaber has the qualifications and background to understand the trends that have occurred,” said Ryan Bohl, a Middle East analyst at RANE Network, an Austin, Texas-based risk intelligence firm. “He’s an oilman, and I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a risk for him.”

The announcement was made by the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency.

“This will be a pivotal year in a pivotal decade for climate action,” al-Jaber was quoted as saying by WAM. “The UAE is approaching COP28 with a strong sense of responsibility and the highest possible ambition.”

“We will take a pragmatic, realistic and solutions-oriented approach to deliver transformative progress on climate and low-carbon economic growth,” he added.

Each year, the country hosting the UN negotiations (the COP) nominates a person to chair the talks. Hosts usually choose an experienced diplomat because navigating talks between competing countries and their interests is difficult. The nominee’s position as “COP Chair” is confirmed by delegates at the beginning of talks, usually without objection.

Over the years, the capacities of the COP chairs have varied.observers generally see Alok Sharma from the UK Energetic and committed to achieving ambitious results. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry Some attendees criticized the chaotic and sometimes opaque way he presided over last year’s meeting.

Al-Jaber’s planned presidency will put the technocrat firmly in the world’s spotlight for the first time. Although he is not a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling Al Nahyan family, he has become crucial in implementing the UAE’s energy policy.

Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.