The UN conference on climate change is only a few weeks away, and what are the Arab countries doing about it? Next to nothing, or even worse.

“Most Arab countries do not even have a position on climate change, and many of the delegates [who have attended international talks] do not have the mandate from their governments to engage in negotiations,” Christoph Bals, policy director of Germanwatch tells the Lebanese Daily Star.

Earlier this month, Germanwatch (which monitors development, environment and economic policies), together with IndyACT (the Lebanon-based League of Independent Activists) published a report analysing the positions of all 22 Arab governments in the current round of climate talks. It was especially scathing about Saudi Arabia.

“Despite the variability in the region, the current Arab position is mainly focused around protecting the oil trade rather than saving the planet from the adverse impacts of climate change," Wael Hmaidan, executive director of IndyACT said. "Saudi Arabia has utilised its political weight in the region, as well as benefited from the indifference of many Arab governments towards this issue in order to dominate the Arab voice.”

IndyACT's statement says the Saudis have been working in various ways to undermine key elements in the international climate negotiations.

A couple of weeks ago the Associated Press reported:

Saudi Arabia has led a quiet campaign during these and other negotiations – demanding behind closed doors that oil-producing nations get special financial assistance if a new climate pact calls for substantial reductions in the use of fossil fuels.

That campaign comes despite an International Energy Agency report released this week showing that OPEC revenues would still increase $23 trillion between 2008 and 2030 – a fourfold increase compared to the period from 1985 to 2007 – if countries agree to significantly slash emissions and thereby cut their use of oil. That is the limit most countries agree is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

The head of the Saudi delegation Mohammad S. Al Sabban dismissed the IEA figures as "biased" and said OPEC's own calculations showed that Saudi Arabia would lose $19 billion a year starting in 2012 under a new climate pact. The region would lose much more, he said."

PS: I can't find the full IndyACT/Germanwatch report on the internet. Anyone who can provide a link please let me know.