| Sultan Al Jaber, UAE’s president-designate of Cop28, is also chief executive of the state’s national oil company, Adnoc, dual roles that have drawn the ire of climate campaigners. Those critics will have felt vindicated by documents uncovered this week by the Centre for Climate Reporting and initially shared with the BBC which appeared to show an overlap between the roles. Greenpeace said the presidency “should be focused on advancing climate solutions impartially, not backroom deals that are fuelling the crisis”. UAE told the Guardian that the leaked documents were “inaccurate and were not used by Cop28 in meetings”. That was not all. The Guardian and the Centre for Climate Reporting also revealed that Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest oil and gas producer, had attempted to woo African leaders with deals on its exports, in a blatant effort to lock them into decades of fossil fuel dependence, in place of the clean energy future they could choose. Separately, Saudi Arabia was also caught in a Channel 4 sting planning to artificially raise global oil demand. Although these revelations were all shocking, they may end up being good for the conference. World leaders who want a strong outcome will be using the leaks as leverage to ensure that Al Jaber must redouble his efforts to salvage his reputation, and also to put pressure on Saudi Arabia to play a constructive role instead of the wrecking tactics the country has sometimes deployed. Governments will be able to demand higher levels of transparency in the presidency’s dealings with all parties, an issue that also came up at last year’s talks in Egypt. If Al Jaber wants to prove his critics wrong, now is the time. He is aware how much hangs on this conference. Speaking before the leaked documents were available, he told the Guardian he was “cautiously optimistic” that “an unprecedented outcome” could be forged that would keep alive hope of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. “Getting back on track, and ensuring that the world accepts a robust understanding of a roadmap to 2030 that will keep 1.5C within reach is my only goal,” he said. I asked Al Jaber specifically about Saudi Arabia, a close ally and neighbour of UAE, which has obstructed previous climate talks. He told me the Saudis had shown “positivity, engagement, receptive to my cause and my call to action” and said: “They have been cooperating and they’re coming with ambition. They have been engaging in a collaborative manner across all climate areas.” Having staked his reputation on bringing the Saudis to the table with constructive pledges, it will be hard for Al Jaber to back down now. He will have to bring out UAE’s own strongest possible measures, and bring pressure to bear on his allies. And if Saudi Arabia were to agree something substantial – emissions cuts, investments in clean energy, phasing out fossil fuels and fronting up cash for poor countries stricken by climate disaster – that would be a turn-up for the planet. Read more from Cop: | 