The Saudi delegation has flatly opposed any language in a deal that would even mention fossil fuels — the oil, gas and coal that, when burned, create emissions that are dangerously heating the planet. Saudi negotiators have also objected to a provision, endorsed by at least 118 countries, aimed at tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030.
I mean, the world economy moving away from petroleum-based fuels would make them mostly geopolitically irrelevant (the exception being that Mecca is (currently) in Saudi Arabia), so this isn’t terribly surprising.
You’re right about their motivations, but I think geopolitics gives absolutely zero shits about Mecca. Just like with Israel, religion is sometimes used as rhetorical justification, but ultimately it’s about power. Invoking religion is another political move as a shield against their cynicism.
Like just look at how these sentiments tend go: “we are fighting for our holy land because we are righteous; they are fighting over their holy land because they are simpleminded and superstitious”. It’s just flag waving. It’s such easily manipulated rhetoric that it can work to any end, so of course it gets deployed.
It’s no more meaningful to the people in power than any other culture war issue. They care about it exactly as much as they care about the green M&M.
Edit: I mentioned Israel, and I realise a lot of people still don’t understand this, but when the US invokes religious duty as their reasons for supporting Israel, it’s cynical. Biden made the real reason abundantly clear decades ago, and he has not walked this back: https://youtube.com/shorts/2HZs-v0PR44?si=vBjdkrzWB5xAWJ7u
He literally says it’s about “values”, then immediately says they’d have to invent an Israel. He made it clear decades ago that was purely for US geopolitics.