The United Arab Emirates, a major oil and gas producer, hosted the climate summit, with the chairman of the national oil company serving as the summit president. This raised concerns about credibility and conflicts of interest, especially when leaked documents revealed discussions about business deals for oil and gas firms during the climate process. The controversial setting and leadership decisions had a significant impact on the perceptions and credibility of the conference.
Semafor’s Tim McDonnell says what made COP28 successful was the same thing that made climate activists skeptical about the conference: its host was an oil executive.
This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin and Isabel Angell, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by David Herman, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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