Saudi Arabia is trying to “artificially stimulate oil demand” despite the kingdom’s public support for phasing out fossil fuels, according to a report published days before the opening of COP28 in Dubai, according to AFP.

The report was published on Monday by the British television channel Channel 4 and the Center for Climate Reporting, a non-governmental investigative journalism organization specializing in climate change.

It focuses on the Sustainable Petroleum Demand Program (ODSP), launched by Saudi Arabia in 2020 to ensure that hydrocarbons “remain part of the global energy balance in the most efficient and sustainable way,” according to the ODSP website.

However, according to the report, the program is particularly focused on maximizing the use of petroleum vehicles in Asia and Africa.

According to the report, the world’s largest oil exporter also supports fuel-intensive supersonic air travel and encourages the development of energy infrastructure in developing countries that use Saudi oil.

The report comes days before COP28 opens in Dubai on Thursday, where energy leaders from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, another oil producer, called for continued investment in fossil fuels to ensure energy security, while predicting a possible transition to fossil-free energy. fuel

The ODSP “seeks to boost oil consumption in Asia and Africa with the ultimate goal of protecting Saudi Arabia’s oil revenues in the face of fossil fuel phase-out initiatives,” the report said.

In a phone call recorded in the report, an ODSP representative was asked by unnamed reporters whether Riyadh’s goal was to “artificially stimulate demand in certain key markets,” to which he replied that it was “one of the main goals , which we are trying to achieve.”

Saudi authorities did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on Tuesday.

In 2021, ahead of the COP26 summit, Saudi Arabia pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, drawing skepticism from environmental groups.

This year, Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, is hosting COP28, the main meeting of the international community to discuss climate change under the auspices of the United Nations.

The choice of the head of the UAE oil company Adnoc as the head of COP28 has been severely criticized by environmentalists.

But some observers see COP28 as an opportunity to finally talk concretely about the fossil fuel problem.