Saudi Back-to-Office Report

9 October 2009

After returning from these negotiations, every delegation will have to write a Back-to-Office (BTO) report for their superiors.

As some may find this task time consuming, ECO has decided to fill in the BTO template for the Saudi Arabian delegation in particular. This we hope will give them more time to rethink their positions here and make them more constructive in Barcelona and Copenhagen.

Saudi Arabia BTO Report for UNFCCC Bangkok Session

Submitted to Ministry of Petroleum – October 2009

Objective (Obj.) 1: Hinder the adaptation discussion

Achievement: We continued to link response measures to adaptation and to then equate Saudi Arabia to Least Developed Countries. But somehow the GDP difference undermined
our argument.

Obj. 2: Exaggerate Saudi’s vulnerability to response measures

Achievement: We were making good progress, but an unexpected release of an International Energy Agency report proved that OPEC would actually make four times more money by 2030 under a 450ppm scenario (see table below). We tried to refute this in an interview but the journalists just did not buy it.

Obj. 3: Stall the process on procedural issues

Achievement: We blocked an extra informal negotiation session between Barcelona and Copenhagen. It was tough, since we were the only country that objected.

Obj. 4: Make sure the level of ambition is low

Achievement: Under Shared Vision, we said there was no need for a figure for the global goal. Unfortunately, we were the only country to promote this and it did not get picked up.

Obj. 5: Undermine the climate change science

Achievement: We said in a media interview that “developed countries are only using the guise of protecting the planet as a way to get at oil producers and reduce their dependency on oil imports.” Nevertheless, we REALLY need to stop doubting climate science, since there is almost total consensus on it and we did actually sign the Convention.

Number of Fossils Earned: Only two (but both in first place)

Comment: On this issue, we have performed below average due to the low level of ambition of developed countries which created fierce competition for fossils.

Overall Evaluation: The chances to reach an agreement in Copenhagen have been reduced substantially but mainly due to the low ambition of developed countries. This had double benefits for us. It helped us achieve our objectives and removed the spotlight from us.

Suggestions for Future Steps: We received positive remarks from Climate Action Network (CAN) members when we opposed nuclear energy and it actually felt good (although this was not our intention). Maybe in Barcelona we can bring our positions closer to CAN’s.