This is incredibly despicable. They are sabotaging international attempts to cooperate in reducing climate change.

Prof Michael Jacobs of Sheffield University, who is an expert on UN climate politics, told the BBC the COP28 team’s actions looked “breathtakingly hypocritical”.

“I actually think it’s worse than that,” he said, “because the UAE at the moment is the custodian of a United Nations process aimed at reducing global emissions. And yet, in the very same meetings where it’s apparently trying to pursue that goal, it’s actually trying to do side deals which will increase global emissions.”

I especially hate it that they want to use COP28 to pressure Brazil and Colombia to start new fossil fuel projects when both those countries are trying so hard at the moment to reduce emissions and halt rainforest destruction.