Former president of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heine, has resigned from the main advisory committee of the United Nations climate summit, citing allegations of oil and gas deals being made during the conference. Her resignation came just one day after the summit began in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

According to leaked documents reported by the Centre for Climate Reporting and the BBC, Sultan al-Jaber, the president of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, planned to leverage his position to increase fossil fuel exports from the UAE. These alleged actions have raised concerns about the integrity of the COP presidency and the negotiation process as a whole.

The fossil fuel industry's influence on the annual climate summit has long been a concern among environmentalists. The summit brings world leaders together to find solutions to curb planet-warming emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Al-Jaber, however, has dismissed the reporting as false and an attempt to undermine his work as the COP28 president. Despite the allegations, he remains in both his roles as the summit's president and the CEO of the UAE state-owned oil company. Calls for him to step down have been renewed in light of the recent allegations.

Heine, in her resignation letter to al-Jaber, emphasized the need for trust to be restored in the negotiations. She stated that only by demonstrating a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels could this trust be rebuilt.

The Marshall Islands, a remote nation highly vulnerable to climate change, faces the existential threat of rising sea levels. Their concerns over the alleged backdoor dealings at the summit underline the urgency of finding meaningful solutions to combat global warming.

Al-Jaber's appointment as COP28 president, coupled with his deep ties to the fossil fuel industry, has drawn intense scrutiny and criticism from the global climate community. His opening speech at the summit, in which he emphasized the inclusion of the role of fossil fuels, did little to assuage concerns.

Heine's resignation from the advisory committee, which consists of climate, industry, and finance experts from around the world, was described by a COP28 spokesperson as "extremely" disappointing. The spokesperson expressed gratitude for Heine's advice throughout the year and expressed regret that she was not present at the summit to celebrate the adoption of a fund aimed at supporting vulnerable island states and those most affected by climate impacts.

The COP28 spokesperson reiterated the summit's commitment to transparency and its goal to keep global warming within reach of the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit. They highlighted the unfortunate impact of unverified reporting on the team and the world's best chance to address climate change challenges.

As the UN climate summit continues, the resignation of Hilda Heine will likely raise further questions about the influence of the fossil fuel industry on the negotiations and the need for transparency and accountability in finding solutions to combat climate change.