The UAE plans to use its position as the host of COP28 to bring up new oil and gas deals with foreign governments, according to a cache of leaked documents published by the UK-registered Centre for Climate Reporting 

The documents, published by the UK-registered Centre for Climate Reporting, appear to be briefing notes for Sultan Al Jaber — who will preside over the UN climate negotiations — for meetings with foreign officials in the run-up to the Summit. They are organised as country profiles, with each document describing talking points for Al Jaber to raise in the meetings.

The document describes each country’s climate progress in important areas which include finance, decarbonisation, food systems, and uptake of renewable energy and identifies how their ambitions could be raised.

In those points, there are many other additional suggestions to offer new oil and gas projects to the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which Al Jaber leads.

For appointing its top oil and gas chief to preside over the Conference of Parties (COP28), the UAE has already been at the centre of widespread criticism.

As Al Jaber helms the summit, ADNOC is planning to expand its oil and gas production, according to a fossil fuel watchdog. The wider ADNOC group is expanding abroad in a few other areas as well, including petrochemicals and renewables.

In addition to the document’s talking points regarding climate change issues and promoting ADNOC, there are other suggestions to promote projects with the UAE’s main renewables vehicle, Masdar, which Al Jaber also runs.

Even though the notes are not very comprehensive because it is not clear how many meetings took place, it does give an idea about how the team hoped to use them as a vehicle for new deals.

The US, China, France, Germany, and the UK are among the countries with briefing notes published by the Centre for Climate Reporting. The organisation said there were 27 country profiles in all but that it had decided to share 15.

The host of COP changes every year and usually sends its nominated president designate to meet with foreign officials to try and ramp up climate action ahead of the talks. The briefing notes reveal that such meetings are expected, until the end of each country’s notes, where suggestions to promote ADNOC and Masdar are included.

As stated in the UN rules, these meetings must not be used to promote the economic interests of the host country. According to the UN’s climate body, the UNFCCC, an elected or appointed COP official must remain impartial throughout the process. They are expected to act without bias, prejudice, favouritism, caprice, self-interest, preference, or deference in the process, according to the body’s code of ethics. They are also expected to ensure that personal views and convictions do not compromise or appear to compromise their role and functions as the UNFCCC officer.

The talking point mentioned in the leaked briefing notes was that ADNOC was ready to ‘expand’ its operations, of providing liquefied natural gas (LNG), to Germany. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a significant contributor to climate change. The leaked notes said ADNOC has already provided some LNG to the country in February 2023 to help it wean off Russian gas – part of Germany’s new strategy since Russia launched its war on Ukraine.

ADNOC has the aim to meet up to 25 per cent of Germany’s hydrogen import demand, the notes say. Hydrogen can be produced from natural gas, which the COP28 host nation has large reserves of.

Another document revealed a talking point for China centred around ADNOC’s growth supporting energy security in the country, stating the company was willing to ‘jointly evaluate’ opportunities for LNG projects in places including Mozambique, Canada, and Australia.

According to the briefing, the UAE wants to be removed from Brazil’s tax haven list, which would allow Masdar to invest more in the country. The briefing also suggested Venezuelan ‘resources’ could be monetised, since the US relaxed its energy sanctions on the country, and that ADNOC and Masdar could help Azerbaijan become an energy hub for Europe, ‘exporting natural gas and potentially clean electricity’.

The other briefing notes shared include Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland, although the notes did not suggest oil and gas projects that would be discussed with all these countries.

For the US, for example, the briefing notes touch on potential renewable energy deals, saying Masdar hoped to grow its presence in the US by carrying out ‘acquisitions’ in the short term.

The COP28 climate talks come at a critical time, as scientists say the world is ‘virtually certain’ to have experienced its hottest year on record in 2023, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe, and the Earth is approaching a series of crucial tipping points.