Abu Dhabi steps on the emissions-reduction accelerator

State-owned energy companies are intensifying efforts to decarbonise the emirate’s crude oil production and carve out a leading role in the nascent global hydrogen trade

The UAE’s decision to name the CEO of state oil company Adnoc, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, as president of the Cop28 climate change summit in Dubai later this year generated predictable criticism from many quarters. However, the firm and its state owner are doubling down on the argument that one of the world’s largest oil producers can also be a pioneer of decarbonisation and clean energy. Jaber’s appointment to the Cop28 role—a choice less jarring when considering his eight years as the UAE’s special envoy for climate change—is symptomatic of Abu Dhabi’s contention that the world will continue to need its cheap-to-extract oil for decades, despite accelerating decarbonisation. The state’s focus i