A major oil exporter is hosting a UN climate summit. Opinions are divided

This yr’s COP28 weather summit is mired in controversy, held in one of the world’s largest oil exporting countries – the United Arab Emirates – and headed via way of means of one of the maximum distinguished faces in its oil enterprise.

Environmental activists have cried foul, arguing that the weather debate has been hijacked via way of means of the fossil gasoline foyer to defend the profit-maximizing agendas of petrostates.

The UAE’s involvement has sparked a dialogue on whether or not there’s an area withinside the weather area for nations that depend by and large on fossil gasoline exports for his or her income. And reviews are split.

Sultan Al Jaber, who will preside over the November summit, wears very distinguished hats withinside the UAE. Aside from being the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), he is likewise the UAE’s weather envoy, tasked with spearheading its electricity coverage. He took at the weather portfolio over a decade earlier than turning into a pinnacle oil govt, assisting release the country’s easy electricity organization Masdar in 2006 and bringing the International Renewable Energy Agency’s headquarters to Abu Dhabi in 2009.

The message the UAE is sending is that each fossil fuels and renewable electricity need to be a part of the worldwide electricity mix, and that one does now no longer should update the other.

It has argued that given the projected boom in worldwide electricity demand, each easy and grimy electricity could be had to electricity the sector, and a hasty transition farfar from oil and fueloline ought to have a damaging impact on the worldwide economy.

“Recent occasions have proven that unplugging the modern-day electricity device earlier than we’ve constructed a sufficiently strong opportunity places each monetary and weather development at risk – and calls into query whether or not we are able to make sure a simply transition this is equitable to all,” Al Jaber wrote ultimate yr in an opinion piece for Project Syndicate.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates a almost 50% growth in worldwide electricity use via way of means of 2050, with oil and fueloline last the maximum-fed on reassets of electricity.

Tom Evans, a coverage adviser on the European weather alternate suppose tank E3G, informed CNN that Al Jaber’s appointment increases questions on the credibility of the UAE’s COP28 presidency. “At face value, the top of a countrywide oil organization is glaringly going through a huge strugglefare of interest,” he stated.

Al Jaber’s twin roles are what make him a “wonderful choice,” US Climate Envoy John Kerry changed into referred to as pronouncing via way of means of the Associated Press on Monday. The organization he leads “is aware of it wishes to transition,” Kerry stated.

Simon Stiell, the govt secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Monday known as the UAE’s web website hosting of the summit a “precise opportunity” at an environmental summit in Abu Dhabi. The UAE has the expertise “to get each zone, in particular the ones difficult to abate, aligned with 1.five,” he stated, regarding the weather intention to live under 1.five levels Celsius of warming.

The UAE has touted the chant of “most electricity, minimal emissions,” pronouncing that as opposed to phasing out fossil fuels, it’ll paintings on making their extraction cleaner, and reinvest its sales into renewable electricity so that it will increase its proportion of the nation’s electricity mix. The u . s . a . is destiny-proofing its electricity zone and will “celebrate” the ultimate barrel of oil it exports, Al Jaber stated at an electricity summit in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Over the beyond 15 years, the UAE has invested $forty billion in renewable electricity and easy generation globally, in step with the Atlantic Council suppose tank. Last yr, it entered a percent with the US to make investments another $one hundred billion in easy electricity. Al Jaber on Saturday known as for a tripling of renewable electricity output round the sector and two times as plenty cash for edition withinside the worldwide south. But that’s now no longer enough, weather professionals say.

“Fossil gasoline income are maximum virtually now no longer powering investments in easy electricity,” Assaad Razzouk, a easy electricity analyst in Singapore, informed CNN. “Just examine the spending of oil and fueloline corporations and the way that’s allocated,” Razzouk stated. Companies like ADNOC and Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil organization want to forestall making an investment in oil and fueloline and spend plenty greater on renewables if they may be severe approximately the transition to easy electricity, he added.

Global campaigner Corporate Accountability in November defined the presence of oil lobbyists at weather summits as “a upward push withinside the affect of the fossil gasoline enterprise on the weather talks which can be already rife with accusations of civil society censorship and company affect.”

Climate professionals say the UAE’s method of increasing using renewables whilst persevering with to extract fossil fuels defies its personal commitments. COP28 didn’t reply to CNN’s request for comment.

“The Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 in 2021 via way of means of all nations, inclusive of the UAE, requires a reduce of 45% in carbon emissions via way of means of 2030,” Mark Maslin, a professor running on weather alternate at University College London, informed CNN. “This can most effective be done if there’s no new funding in fossil fuels and using all fossil fuels is phased out as quickly as possible.”

“So it does now no longer make any experience to spend money on fossil fuels while the sector wishes to be internet 0 emissions earlier than 2050,” he added. But the UAE is doing pretty the opposite.

One of the few manufacturers withinside the OPEC oil cartel with the potential to ramp up manufacturing on quick notice, the UAE has again and again known as for greater funding withinside the oil zone to satisfy worldwide demand, and has launched into a assignment to in addition growth its personal potential. In November, it introduced ahead its oil manufacturing enlargement to 2027 as opposed to 2030, while it is going to be generating as much as five million barrels in keeping with day (bpd) from approximately four million.

The UAE’s method has been pragmatic, stated Amena Bakr, leader OPEC correspondent at Energy Intelligence, including that Russia’s conflict on Ukraine led countries to prioritize electricity safety and realise that the sector couldn’t eliminate oil and fueloline so quickly.

“Renewable electricity nevertheless can not meet base-load electricity demand – that’s a fact,” she informed CNN.

For Razzouk, the easy electricity analyst, the strugglefare has “incontrovertibly proven the folly of counting on imported fossil fuels, and the countrywide safety dangers this entailed.”

The digest

Iran hangs British citizen on fees of espionage and corruption

A twin British-Iranian citizen changed into hanged via way of means of Iran on fees of espionage and corruption, a country-affiliated media outlet stated Saturday, the brand new in a string of executions performed via way of means of a regime grappling with unparalleled protests throughout the u . s . a .. Alireza Akbari changed into accomplished for crimes inclusive of “corruption on earth,” in step with the Iranian judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated he changed into “appalled via way of means of the execution.” Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated Saturday afternoon that the British authorities deliberate to sanction Iran’s Prosecutor General to underline “our disgust at Alireza Akbari’s execution.”

Background: Akbari formerly served as Iran’s deputy protection minister and changed into the top of the Strategic Research Institute. He changed into charged with running as a secret agent for MI6, the British intelligence agency, and reportedly paid greater than $2 million, Iranian country media stated Saturday. He allegedly supplied facts to overseas officers approximately 178 Iranian figures, inclusive of the u . s . a .’s leader nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who changed into killed via way of means of a remote-managed device gun working out of a vehicle in 2020. Iran’s pinnacle officers accused Israel of masterminding the plot on the time, with out presenting evidence.
Why it matters: Though Iran does now no longer understand twin nationality, the execution of an person retaining British citizenship will probably in addition gasoline tensions among Tehran and Western countries, that have been crucial of the regime’s reaction to anti-authorities demonstrations that commenced in September ultimate yr. Iran has lengthy ranked most of the world’s pinnacle executioners, and Akbari is one in every of 3 people to acquire a dying sentence withinside the first weeks of 2023.

More than 80,000 flip out for Tel Aviv protest towards Netanyahu authorities

Despite pouring rain, tens of hundreds of human beings protested in Tel Aviv Saturday night time towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his authorities’s proposed modifications to the judicial device. Others took to the streets in Jerusalem for parallel protests. Attendees held symptoms and symptoms evaluating Netanyahu to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and pronouncing Israel changed into becoming the likes of semi-democratic Hungary and theocratic Iran.
Background: The proposed modifications, introduced ultimate week via way of means of Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin, could are trying to find to reform Supreme Court nominations through a evaluate committee and allow parliament to overturn Supreme Court rulings.
Why it matters: Protesters informed CNN they worry for Israel’s destiny and they got here out to ship a message to Netanyahu that the general public wouldn’t stand for what they see because the dismantling of Israeli democracy. Esther Hayut, the president of Israel’s Supreme Court, on Thursday attacked the proposed modifications as “an unbridled assault at the prison device” and stated they have been “designed to pressure a deadly blow at the independence of the judicial device.”

Syria units situations for rapprochement with Turkey

Syrian overseas minister Faisal Mekdad stated on Saturday that Turkey could should stop its army presence in his u . s . a . to acquire a complete rapprochement, Reuters stated. “We can not communicate approximately resuming regular ties with Turkey with out disposing of the occupation, with out finishing terrorism and returning the members of the family to the country that they have been primarily based totally on the primary place,” he stated after assembly his Iranian counterpart in Damascus.

Background: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated on Thursday that he ought to meet his Syrian counterpart early in February. Syria has made no professional touch upon the timing of this type of assembly, which could mark the highest-degree talks among Ankara and Damascus because the Syrian conflict commenced in 2011.
Why it matters: Turkey has been a prime backer of the political and armed competition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the course of the 12-yr strugglefare in Syria, and has despatched its personal troops into swathes of the u . s . a .’s north. But Ankara can be in search of a inexperienced mild from the Syrian regime and its Russian best friend to release a army operation towards Kurdish corporations in northern Syria.

$30 billion

The UAE will make investments $30 billion in South Korea, Reuters referred to South Korea’s presidential workplace as pronouncing on Sunday. The choice changed into introduced as South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol met his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi in the course of a 4-day visit. Yoon’s press secretary stated the funding could be directed at nuclear electricity, protection, hydrogen and sun electricity industries, amongst others.

What’s trending

Saudi Arabia: #Naturalizing_children_of_female_citizens

Saudis on Twitter had been discussing a alternate withinside the kingdom’s citizenship regulation that changed into misinterpreted via way of means of a few as easing the system of naturalization for the youngsters of Saudi ladies.

In maximum Arab nations, most effective guys can byskip on citizenship to their youngsters automatically, which ladies’s rights activists have campaigned for many years to alternate. In Saudi Arabia, the youngsters of Saudi ladies married to foreigners don’t get Saudi citizenship at delivery however have the proper to use for it after the age of 18 in the event that they meet positive situations.

The alternate withinside the Saudi citizenship regulation ultimate week moved the authority to supply citizenship from the indoors minister to the top minister, however didn’t alternate the policies to acquire citizenship.

Some local information shops falsely stated that the modifications eased the policies of naturalization, prompting the subject to fashion on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, with many praising the pass and others caution of the demographic imbalance it may cause. The erroneous reporting but sparked a debate on the subject, with many calling at the authorities to permit ladies to byskip on citizenship to their youngsters at delivery.

“I aid this pass due to the fact I take into account the Saudi girl to be same to the Saudi man, with all of the rights and responsibilities as the ones Saudi guys who marry overseas ladies and naturalize their youngsters,” Saudi creator Mohammed Alkhalid stated in a video published on Twitter.

Oil wealthy Gulf Arab nations have very strict naturalization procedures. Of the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, 4 have a majority expatriate populace, with residents accounting for much less than 20% of the populace in nations just like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.