Rep. Huffman, Sen. Whitehouse Urge Climate Envoy Kerry to Oppose Oil Executive as COP28 Leader

January 27, 2023

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led their colleagues in a letter to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry out of concern with the appointment of the chief executive of one of the world’s largest oil companies as president of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference.

“We are writing to urge you to push the United Arab Emirates to withdraw the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as President-designate of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties 28 (COP 28),” the members said in their letter. “To help ensure that COP 28 is a serious and productive climate summit, we believe the United States should urge the United Arab Emirates to name a different lead for COP 28 or, at a minimum, seek assurances that it will promote an ambitious COP 28 aligned with the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings and take concrete steps to demonstrate domestic and regional leadership toward this end.”

In addition to Representative Huffman and Senator Whitehouse, the letter was cosigned by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Mike Levin (CA-49), Grace Meng (NY-06) Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Adam Schiff (CA-30), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

The full letter can be found here or below:

 

The Honorable John Kerry

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate

United States State Department

2201 C Street Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20520

 

Dear Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry:

We are writing to urge you to push the United Arab Emirates to withdraw the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as President-designate of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties 28 (COP 28). The decision to name the chief executive of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies as president of the next U.N. Climate Change Conference risks jeopardizing climate progress from successive U.N. Climate Conferences.  To help ensure that COP 28 is a serious and productive climate summit, we believe the United States should urge the United Arab Emirates to name a different lead for COP 28 or, at a minimum, seek assurances that it will promote an ambitious COP 28 aligned with the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings and take concrete steps to demonstrate domestic and regional leadership toward this end.

We know that you share our sense of urgency about the climate crisis, and that you understand the imperative of achieving significantly more progress on climate action at COP 28.  The appointment of an oil company executive to head COP 28 poses a risk to the negotiation process as well as the whole conference itself. You are also well aware that the fossil fuel industry has already deeply tampered with UN climate negotiations. At least 636 fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to COP 27 in Egypt in November 2022.  Having a fossil fuel champion in charge of the world’s most important climate negotiations would be like having the CEO of a cigarette conglomerate in charge of global tobacco policy. It risks undermining the very essence of what is trying to be accomplished.

Furthermore, as some of us have urged, future COPs should require any participating company to submit an audited corporate political influencing statement that discloses climate-related lobbying, campaign contributions, and funding of trade associations and organizations active on energy and climate issues. COPs should not provide a stage for greenwashing. They should be convenings for serious climate actors and actions. Such commonsense reforms to help restore public faith in the COP process will obviously be impossible with an oil company executive at the helm. Some sign that there will be adequate disclosure of often-clandestine fossil fuel influence surrounding this COP will go a long way, as you saw the reaction to the visible fossil fuel lobbying presence in Egypt. 

Thank you for your attention to this important issue, and for your ongoing dedication and unmatched leadership in confronting the climate crisis. We ask you to consult with us on the steps you are taking to ensure that UAE delivers a COP that is ambitious and substantive, with domestic actions and commitments reflective of the unique responsibilities of a major oil and gas producing nation. We look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

[Members of Congress]