The UAE will host Cop28 this year
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
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
