In an "exclusive" interview with the Guardian, Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 president-designate, said the world needs an "entrepreneurial mindset" to tackle climate change. Al Jaber told the paper that “we need a fundamental course correction and a massive effort to restart progress. This cannot be done by governments alone.” He continues: “The scale of the problem requires everyone to work in solidarity. We need partnerships, not polarization, and we need to approach this with a clear rationale and a workable action plan… COP28 is committed to building on the progress made at COP26 and COP27 and bringing an entrepreneurial mindset, specifically KPIs [key performance indicators, the cornerstone of most business strategies] and an ambitious program of action.” As chief executive of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national oil company Adnoc, Al Jaber is “a highly controversial choice to preside over these key negotiations,” the paper said. But Al Jaber said "no one should get ahead of his presidency as he is committed to protecting the 1.5°C limit and ensuring that all countries and the private sector act to achieve the massive emissions reductions needed," the article said. Al Jaber says the UAE's progress in diversifying beyond oil "will enable it to motivate other oil-producing countries to come up with similar plans," the article said. He explains: “We know we need to fully engage the private sector and unlock the trillions of dollars needed. This requires a business plan that will outline key outcomes with specific KPIs; it requires reliable and sufficient capital and coordinated collective action.” Al Jaber also mentions the need to invest in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS). In the document, he says: "I want to make sure that COP28 becomes a place where partnerships in every region come together to commercialize hydrogen production, transport and industrial use." On CCS, he says: "The IPCC has been saying since 2016 that carbon sequestration is an essential tool to keep temperature rise under control. Despite this, only 44 million tons of carbon are captured annually. We have to multiply this amount by 30. It is a huge commitment that we simply cannot afford at the moment. We need progressive, smart government regulation and policies that will incentivize private investment on an industrial scale.

Fiona Harvey, The Guardian