As COP 28 enters full swing in Dubai, the United Nations flagship annual climate conference was hit by fake news last week. On Wednesday, a very convincing-looking press release was emailed to journalists, including at Devex, suggesting that COP 28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber was stepping down from his position as CEO of the state oil company. It followed real news stories that the United Arab Emirates planned to use the meetings to promote deals for its national oil and gas companies, according to leaked documents — allegations that Al Jaber denied. But who was behind the false press release? Their identity remains unknown.
There was real job news in the climate world last week, too. The $11 billion Climate Investment Funds announced its new CEO as Tariye Gbadegesin. Currently the CEO of pan-African infrastructure fund ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment, Gbadegesin will be CIF’s first African leader and is set to take over in March. Meanwhile, Rachel Kyte, the former CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, is heading to Oxford University as a visiting professor.
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