A member of the main advisory board of the COP28 climate summit resigned on Friday over reports the UAE presidency planned to use the meeting to secure oil, gas deals, according to her resignation letter seen by Reuters.

Hilda Heine, former president of the low-lying, climate vulnerable Marshall Islands, said reports that the UAE planned to discuss possible natural gas and other commercial deals ahead of U.N. climate talks were “deeply disappointing” and threatened to undermine the credibility of the multilateral negotiation process.

“These actions undermine the integrity of the COP presidency and the process as a whole,” Heine wrote in the letter she sent to COP President Sultan al-Jaber.

She added that the only way for Jaber to restore trust in the process was to “deliver an outcome that demonstrates that you are committed to phasing out fossil fuels”.

Jaber has denied the reports by the BBC and Centre for Climate Reporting.

In response to Heine’s resgination, a spokesperson for the COP28 presidency said it is “extremely disappointed by Dr. Heine’s resignation.”

Read more: reuters.com

Photo: reuters.com