Letter from the Middle East: Adnoc’s road to net zero

The NOC must decarbonise rapidly if the UAE is to meet its emissions pledge

The UAE’s 2050 net-zero carbon pledge, announced on 7 October, ramps up the pressure and puts the spotlight on state oil giant Adnoc. Its CEO Sultan al-Jaber also happens to be chairman of clean energy vehicle Masdar and the UAE’s special envoy for climate change. A healthy competition has developed between Adnoc and its neighbourly rival Saudi Aramco on climate, as on modernisation and strategic vision generally. This mirrors a wider race between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in which Abu Dhabi often, but not always, makes the first move. Riyadh’s own net-zero commitment, a decade later than the UAE’s, was promulgated just over a fortnight after its neighbour. 39.7mn t – Adnoc’s direct CO₂