COP28 president Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber
Adnoc’s global energy leadership
Oil and gas companies look to defy cynics and play pivotal role in decarbonisation as the UAE hosts COP28
The UN climate talks under way in the UAE are focusing on the role of oil and gas companies as never before—not least because COP28 president Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber is also CEO of national oil and gas company Adnoc. From the viewpoint of the government of the UAE—one of the world’s largest producers of oil and gas—“Dr Sultan”, as his aides reportedly call him, is not that surprising a choice. He is minister of industry and advanced technology, chairman of the nation’s renewable energy company, Masdar, and has been the UAE’s special envoy for climate change since 2020. But his role as Adnoc chief has left climate campaigners aghast at what they see as a monumental conflict of interest. One of
Also in this section
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
8 January 2026
The region’s access to versatile feedstock, combined with policy support, is setting it up to meet growing demand both at home and abroad
7 January 2026
No longer can the energy source be considered a sidekick to oil in the Middle East and neither should it step aside for less convincing alternatives
