THE COP28 F-LIST

The report argues that the UAE used extensive PR campaigns to rebrand itself as a climate leader to secure the hosting of COP28, while simultaneously planning to expand oil and gas production. It identifies 18 agencies that worked for the UAE, COP28, ADNOC, or Masdar between 2021 and 2023, noting that many of these firms simultaneously held contracts with major fossil fuel polluters. The document details specific tactics used to manipulate public opinion, including the editing of Wikipedia pages by COP28 staff and the use of AI-generated social media bots for astroturfing. It concludes by calling on the creative industry to stop working with fossil fuel clients to support a genuine energy transition.

• The UAE is utilizing the COP28 platform to position itself as a climate leader despite having the "third largest plan “for oil and gas expansion in the world”" and failing to meet its own renewable energy targets.
• ADNOC intends to invest $150 billion to increase its oil and gas production to 5 million barrels a day by 2027, contradicting UN warnings to phase out fossil fuels.
• Between 2021 and 2023, 18 agencies worked for COP28, the UAE, Masdar, and ADNOC. Ten of these agencies simultaneously managed 29 fossil fuel contracts for entities including ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, while eight agencies representing ADNOC and Masdar had 27 relationships with fossil fuel polluters.
• The UAE's energy mix remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with oil, natural gas, and coal accounting for 95% of overall energy consumption, while renewable energy consumption is only 1.38%.
• The UAE employed various PR firms to manage its image for COP28, including First National Resources, which was paid a $132,500 retainer to "counteract all negative press and media reports" and protect Dr. Al Jaber and COP28 from criticism.
• Efforts to manipulate public perception included the editing of Wikipedia entries by COP28's head of marketing, Ramzi Haddad, to remove criticism and promote green credentials, as well as a multilingual astroturfing campaign using over 100 fake accounts and AI-generated images.

APA

Dutta, N. (n.d.). THE COP28 F-LIST. Clean Creatives. https://cleancreatives.org/cop28

Chicago

Dutta, Nayantara. THE COP28 F-LIST. Clean Creatives, n.d. https://cleancreatives.org/cop28.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dutta |first1=Nayantara |title=THE COP28 F-LIST |publisher=Clean Creatives |url=https://cleancreatives.org/cop28 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{duttandcop28, author = {Dutta, Nayantara}, title = {{THE COP28 F-LIST}}, institution = {Clean Creatives}, url = {https://cleancreatives.org/cop28}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }