The presence of Dr. Mustafa Babiker, a senior expert at Saudi Aramco, among the lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports has recently come under scrutiny. Saudi Aramco, as one of the largest oil producers in the world, is responsible for a significant portion of carbon emissions that exacerbate the climate crisis.
Concerns About Conflicts of Interest
Dr. Julia Steinberger, one of the lead authors of the IPCC, met Dr. Babiker on her first day of work and expressed her concerns about conflicts of interest. However, Babiker stated that he had disclosed this matter in the IPCC conflict of interest form. This response was not convincing to Steinberger, but they continued their discussion.
Recent research indicates that at least twelve lead authors of the IPCC are somehow connected to Saudi Aramco and other oil and gas entities. This raises serious concerns about the influence of Saudis on the production of climate reports.
Analysis of the Current Situation
According to conducted reviews, 20 cases of severe concerns regarding conflicts of interest have been identified, more than half of which are related to Saudi entities. This concentration may raise broader questions about Saudi Arabia's influence on how these reports are produced.
Some experts also consider the IPCC's conflict of interest policies to be inadequate and inappropriate. Dr. Diego Armando Moya Pinta, another employee of Saudi Aramco, has been selected as a lead author for a report on energy systems that directly relates to Aramco's business interests.
In March 2026, the IPCC Conflict of Interest Committee announced that no conflicts of interest had been identified among the authors of the seventh assessment report. This contradiction between the committee's findings and the presence of authors associated with the world's largest oil company raises questions about the effectiveness of the IPCC's conflict of interest policies.
Research also shows that the presence of authors associated with Saudis in the IPCC has increased, indicating a shift in this country's climate diplomacy. Saudi Arabia is attempting to promote technological solutions for climate change while still opposing the reduction of fossil fuel consumption in UN climate negotiations.
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