COP28’s leader lays out his vision


Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the oil executive and cabinet minister presiding over the UAE’s upcoming COP28 climate summit, shared his plans for the conference last week. Here are some of the key details:

  1. 🌡️ 1.5C: Al Jaber says the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C will be the conference’s “single north star”
  2. ⚡ Energy: He wants concrete plans to double energy efficiency and hydrogen production, and triple renewable energy capacity, and
  3. 🏦 Climate finance: Al Jaber wants rich countries to deliver on their long-standing climate funding pledges to poorer nations.

Intrigue’s take: The UAE’s decision to name an oil executive like Al Jaber as its COP28 president attracted criticism at the time. But in words at least, it seems he’s leaning into the role. And we’ll find out in November/December how much of the world is willing to follow his lead.

Also worth noting:

  • Al Jaber also called for the “inevitable and essential […] phase down of fossil fuels.”
  • Some climate groups described Al Jaber’s vision as “incoherent” and “confusing”.
  • The UAE set stricter emissions reduction targets earlier this year, aiming for a 40% cut by 2030 (up from 31%).
Latest Author Articles
TikTok sues the US government

TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance have filed a lawsuit against the US government – it’s an attempt to block a divest-or-ban order that could spell the end of the social media giant’s presence in the US. 

9 May, 2024
The OECD is cautiously optimistic

Today we’re doing what we do best: wading through 200-something pages of turgid prose and acronyms to get you what you need to know.

3 May, 2024
KFC closes Malaysian stores amid Israel boycott

The Malaysian operator of fast food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) announced on Monday it was temporarily closing outlets across the country, citing “challenging economic conditions”. Local media then said the quiet bit out loud: 100 or so KFC outlets are closing in Malaysia due to an ongoing boycott.

1 May, 2024
World’s biggest miner launches bid to become copper super-producer

Australia’s BHP, the world’s largest mining company, wants to get just a little bit larger. Yesterday (Thursday) the firm announced it had made a $39B bid for one of its main competitors, London-listed Anglo American.

26 April, 2024