Climate activist and former United States Vice President Al Gore bashed the United Arab Emirates Sunday, arguing its position overseeing international leadership on climate change this year marked an abuse of the public’s trust.
Gore directed his criticism at COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, who heads the UAE’s national oil company ADNOC, questioning whether he can be trusted to broker a climate deal in good faith whilst leading one of the top ten oil and gas brands in the world.
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“They are abusing the public’s trust by naming the CEO of one of the largest and least responsible oil companies in the world as head of the COP,” Gore told Reuters in an interview at the conference in Dubai.
Gore gave a presentation at the COP’s main plenary hall Sunday and revealed data showing the UAE’s greenhouse gas emissions rose 7.5% in 2022 from the year before, compared to a $1.5% rise for the whole world, the outlet reported.
Also at the COP conference this weekend was Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods, who made his first-ever appearance at the event. Gore said that Exxon’s engagement shouldn’t cause people to turn a blind eye to its historic resistance to climate policies.
“He should not be taken seriously. He’s protecting his profits and placing them in a higher priority than the survival of the human civilization,” Gore said of Woods’ presence at the event.
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At the event, Gore urged delegates to agree to phase out fossil fuels without caveats or mentions of carbon capture technology, likening such technology to a “research project.”
“There’s been no cost reduction for 50 years, and there is a pretense on the part of the fossil fuel companies that it is a readily available, economically viable technology,” Gore added.
