As head of ADNOC, Al Jaber has overseen a substantial expansion of gas and oil production at the same time that fossil fuel industries are under pressure to reduce output in order to mitigate climate change.

[14] Since that time Al Jaber has publicly listed several ADNOC businesses,[15][16] while also attracting some US$26 billion in international investment from companies such as BlackRock, Eni, and KKR.

[17] Under Al Jaber, ADNOC has invested in carbon capture and green hydrogen projects, while also committing to power its operations with renewable energy sources.

[6][27] Stanley Reed, an energy journalist for the New York Times, commented that these announcements were in part "image-burnishing", and that while Abu Dhabi's government sought to diversify its economy, it also aimed to maintain a significant future market for its oil reserves.

[44] Al Jaber denied reports that UAE wanted to seek oil deals in summit, calling the allegations false and an attempt to undermine work of the COP28 presidency.

[4] In 2009, Al Jaber was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to his Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC).

[58] He has also emphasized the key role national hydrocarbon producers should play in the energy transition, arguing that the least carbon-intensive barrels will be required for the foreseeable future.

[60] Amnesty International reacted to ADNOC Drilling's plan to expand fossil fuel production and its record profits, comparing them to the appointment of the company's chief executive Sultan al-Jaber as the chair of COP28 climate talks in 2023.

Citing Al Jaber's claim that his leadership role will allow him to push the industry to decarbonize, Ed Markey said he doubted if such commitments will be maintained after the conference.

[64] Days after Ed Markey's statement, more than 130 US lawmakers and members of the European Parliament called for the removal Sultan Al Jaber as the president-designate of the COP28 climate summit.

[65][66] In May 2023, The Guardian reported that Al Jaber had been accused of attempting to greenwash his image, through members of his team editing Wikipedia to portray him favorably as an advocate for green energy, while downplaying his involvement in the fossil fuel industry.

Edits included adding a quote that described Al Jaber as "an ally to the climate movement" and suggesting that editors remove reference to a multibillion-dollar oil pipeline deal he signed in 2019.

[70] Later in August, it was revealed that under Al Jaber's leadership, ADNOC's 2019 methane leak target had been set to levels considerably higher than those the company had previously reported to the UN and cited a Harvard study alleging that it suggested "leaky infrastructure combined with deliberate venting or incomplete flaring of gas.

Al Jaber denied reports that the UAE wanted to seek oil deals at the summit, calling the allegations an attempt to undermine his work.