The United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s wealthiest oil states and host of the upcoming UN climate talks in November, has tried to cast itself as an environmental leader through a wide-ranging public relations and lobbying campaign that began in 2019. But the UAE’s efforts and its host status are facing significant criticism from lawmakers and environmentalists in both the United States and Europe. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down why the UAE is trying to green its image and the pushback it’s facing. Plus, a bipartisan duo in the Senate introduced legislation Wednesday that would take the first step toward penalizing imports of high-polluting goods.

Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO.

Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO.

Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer.

Alex Keeney is a senior audio producer at POLITICO.

Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO’s audio department.

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How the UAE is trying to green its image before hosting COP28