IPCC Proposes Including 18-Year Veteran Of Saudi Aramco As Climate Report Author

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According to a note circulated within the committee that selects the authors, seen by POLITICO, Sudanese economist Mustafa Babiker — a long-term employee of the Saudi Aramco oil company — was proposed as one of three coordinating lead authors for the chapter. Babiker is a qualified academic with a long history of contributions to IPCC publications, including leading a chapter of its last major report. No final decision has been made. But observers and some scientists worry that commissioning an 18-year veteran of the world’s largest oil company to lead such key work could harm the IPCC’s credibility as the world’s arbiter of climate science.

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In addition to its two chairs, the group has seven vice-chairs. Three are from countries that are part of the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations. Two others are from countries in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. One is from Norway, Europe’s largest oil producer, and Calvin is from the largest oil and gas exporting country in the world. The officers are mostly academics, and there is no evidence they are politically motivated.

But one vice-chair is Malak Al-Nory, a senior adviser in the Saudi energy ministry. According to the person with inside knowledge of the discussions, it was Al-Nory who communicated Saudi Arabia’s nomination of Babiker to lead the report chapter. “Our ability to assess their skills is imperfect at best,” co-chairs of the selection panel, Calvin and Malaysia’s Joy Jacqueline Pereira, wrote in the first note. But they said all their choices, including Babiker, “received support” from the panel.

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As the chairs’ note shows, in proposing Babiker, dozens of other highly qualified nominees were passed over. According to the document, they included Jan Minx, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research who specializes in analyzing climate policy outcomes. Some governments don’t want this type of after-the-fact analysis to be included in the IPCC report. Saudi diplomats repeatedly opposed the move at the February meeting, according to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, which publishes readouts from the meetings. Minx declined to comment. The chapter Babiker may lead is of key interest to Saudi Arabia, which aims to be a major exporter of fossil fuels for decades to come.

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https://www.politico.eu/article/saudi-arabia-us-drive-strife-global-climate-change-science-ipcc-aramco-oil-un/