In a fiery speech, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore criticized the UAE for its handling of the COP28 environmental summit, calling it an abuse of public trust.
Speaking to Reuters at the conference in Dubai, Gore expressed doubts about the ability of COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, who heads the UAE’s national oil company ADNOC, to act as an impartial broker in climate negotiations.
“They are abusing the public’s trust by appointing the CEO of one of the largest and least accountable oil companies in the world as head of the COP,” Gore stated.
During a discussion at the conference, Gore presented data indicating that the UAE’s greenhouse gas emissions had increased by 7.5% in 2022, compared to a global increase of 1.5%. The data came from Climate TRACE, a union co-founded by Gore which uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to monitor carbon emissions. The UAE did not immediately respond to Gore’s remarks or the TRACE data.
Gore, who made the unsuccessful bid for the U.S. presidency in 2000 and is known for his climate advocacy, also criticized the presence of oil and gas companies at the summit, particularly their promotion of technologies such as carbon capture to mitigate the emissions of fossil fuels.
When asked about the presence of Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods at the conference, Gore expressed skepticism, stating that the oil giant’s engagement does not erase its history of opposition to climate policies.
“He should not be taken seriously. He’s protecting his profits and prioritizing them over the survival of human civilization,” Gore said. Exxon Mobil declined to comment.
In addition, Gore urged delegates to agree to language in the final summit text that would phase out fossil fuels without any qualifications or references to carbon capture technology.
Gore also dismissed carbon capture and direct air capture as viable solutions, calling them “a research project” without any cost reductions in the past 50 years.
Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Will Dunham
