Why the next climate summit is stirring controversy. Every year, the world convenes for the United Nations climate talks. There, members of the Conference of the Parties (COP) decide on the dates and venue of their next session.

The host nation then names someone to chair the talks. The government of the host country holds the presidency of the COP for one year, until the conference is concluded. It usually names one of its ministers as president.

There have been many controversies around these UN-brokered climate talks before. Some have been around representation of the Global South and logistical difficulties. That was experienced during Cop 26 in Glasgow, Scotland; this year it is the presidency.

At the center of this year’s controversy is the head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Cop28’s president-designate, Sultan Al Jaber.

When and where will the Cop28 be?

The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference will convene from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Why could Cop28 be one of the most controversial?

The UAE’s choice for president-designate of Cop28, Sultan Al-Jaber, is the head of oil giant ADNOC. And this has not sat well with some climate activists. They are also suspicious of the nation’s influence at the negotiation table during the November-December talks.

ADNOC is the world’s 11th biggest oil and gas producer and delivered more than a billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) in 2021.

International organizations, including Amnesty International, have said, “Sultan al-Jaber’s appointment sends the wrong signal to the people most affected by climate change.”

With less than four months until the summit, environmentalists have questioned the objectivity of the summit headed by a big oil executive and have heightened concerns that the UAE will use its presidency to foster fossil fuel interests.

Read more at Businessdailyafrica.com