The COP28 climate summit hosted by the UAE in November 2023 had been subject to increasing criticism from policy makers and political commentators in Western countries. More than 130 European and US lawmakers published an open letter calling for COP28 president who is the head of ADNOC and also the Chairman of Masdar, to be removed, claiming that his dual role as chief executive of the country’s national oil company jeopardizes the prospects of the summit. A steady stream of increasingly critical publications questions the potential of COP28 in the light of the UAE’s position as an oil-producing country. This paper addresses these concerns through an assessment of the UAE’s position on (and vulnerability to) climate change and environmental sustainability and a review of the key challenges to consensus building at prior COP summits. It identifies the UAE’s consistent national commitment since 2005 to finding pragmatic solutions to accelerate global energy transition while reducing emissions and implementing several clean energy projects globally. Secondly, it brings into focus the highly political nature of previous COP summits where ineffective communication between national representatives driven by broader diplomatic disputes emerged as a key obstacle to agreement. This obstacle was accentuated during the pre COP28 summit climate conference in Bonn where the Russia Ukraine conflict prevented communication between key stakeholders. The UAE’s position as an emerging global soft power embracing its policy of political neutrality and public diplomacy is an asset to facilitate communication across the diplomatic divide and with countries that are vulnerable to the impact of climate change.