The 28th United Nations Climate Change conference begins this week in a middle east petrostate. UAE hired a team of lobbyists to “inoculate” COP28 and Sultan al-Jaber from “any potential criticism” and drum up support from “politically influential individuals.” COP28 president designate Jaber is managing director and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

BBC reports The United Arab Emirates plans to use its role as the host of UN climate talks as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals. Canada is receptive because Canadian investors have put C$9 billion into UAE entities in the past two years.

Another BBC item says toxic gas is putting millions at risk in the Middle East.

Toxic pollutants released during gas flaring are endangering millions more people than previously feared, a BBC investigation suggests.

Flaring – the burning of waste gas during oil drilling – is taking place across the Gulf, including by COP28 hosts the United Arab Emirates.

New research suggests pollution is spreading hundreds of miles, worsening air quality across the entire region.

While Canada has failed at meeting past climate pledges, it has certainly been good at making promises.

The Globe and Mail reports: Ottawa poised to announce new methane regulations, heading into COP28.

These regulations will be the cornerstone of Canada’s COP28 climate plan. They follow the 2021 Global Methane Pledge, a joint agreement in which more than 100 countries promised to cut methane emissions by at least 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030.

Canada’s strategy is more ambitious: It hopes to reduce emissions by 40 per cent to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. It plans to do this by cutting oil and gas sector emissions by 75 per cent.

“They’re very close to being ready,” said Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault about methane regulations. “I would be shocked if by the time I come back from COP, we haven’t announced them.”

Bill McKibben of 350.org, writing at Substack, said entire nations essentially operate as oil companies, with precisely the same attention to morality as Exxon or Shell. (The province of Alberta is no different.)

The Guardian reports that Saudi Arabia, a close UAE ally, is working to hook developing countries on oil:

Saudi Arabia is driving a huge global investment plan to create demand for its oil and gas in developing countries, an undercover investigation has revealed. Critics said the plan was designed to get countries “hooked on its harmful products”.

Little was known about the oil demand sustainability programme (ODSP) but the investigation obtained detailed information on plans to drive up the use of fossil fuel-powered cars, buses and planes in Africa and elsewhere, as rich countries increasingly switch to clean energy.

The ODSP plans to accelerate the development of supersonic air travel, which it notes uses three times more jet fuel than conventional planes, and partner with a carmaker to mass produce a cheap combustion engine vehicle. Further plans promote power ships, which use polluting heavy fuel oil or gas to provide electricity to coastal communities...