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
2 December 2025
Oil major cites deteriorating demand and a planning debacle as it abandons one of UK’s largest blue hydrogen projects
1 December 2025
Project at Emden in northwest Germany due online in 2027, but wider ramp-up of clean hydrogen sector in Germany will require overhaul of government policy, company warns
25 November 2025
The northwest African country’s vision of integrating green power, molecules and steel is alive and kicking, and serves as a reminder of hydrogen’s transformative potential
19 November 2025
The creation of ‘lead markets’ to generate hydrogen demand in the EU has potential, but implementation would pose complex challenges for producers and industrial offtakers
