The economies of the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rely almost exclusively on petroleum. Meanwhile, life in the Gulf requires the expenditure of large amounts of energy for water desalinization and climate control; Gulf regimes subsidize their citizens’ carbon-intensive lifestyles in exchange for political quiescence, such that insisting on more frugal consumption could potentially threaten the Gulf monarchs’ hold on power. In short, the economic, social, and political realities of the GCC provide strong incentives to perpetuate the exploitation of these countries’ petroleum resources. Yet there are financial incentives for these states to transition to domestic consumption of renewable fuels, while continuing to export hydrocarbons. Simultaneously, the Gulf is likely to face an environmental imperative to address climate change, as it experiences extreme weather conditions and rising seas threaten coastal populations. In the face of these competing incentives, the Gulf monarchies rhetorically endorse eco-friendly practices. For example, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have promised to reduce their production of greenhouse gases and to construct wind and solar energy facilities. Construction projects like Medina Masdar and Neom have been publicized as carbon-neutral cities of the future. What explains the eco-friendly rhetoric of Gulf regimes? Are these governments introducing substantive policies to transition from hydrocarbons? Or are these governments encouraging domestic consumption of renewables to sell more of their petroleum abroad? Is the rhetoric a “green-washing” legitimation strategy aimed at the international community, or an expression of performance legitimacy aimed at their own citizens? The research argues that expressions of eco-friendly rhetoric from Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are largely intended to reinforce the regimes’ performance legitimacy in the eyes of their citizens. By asserting their ability to use emerging technologies, harness renewable energy sources, and allegedly address the climate crisis, these regimes implicitly state the imperative for their continued hold on power, implying that without their strong leadership, their countries face potential disaster. Findings are drawn from economic data, and supplemented through interviews with Saudi and Emirati experts and officials engaged in urban development and energy policy. The research offers insights into the ways in which authoritarian regimes may seek to use concerns about climate change to secure their continued rule. By manufacturing an image of the state as hyper-modern, cutting edge, and technocratically able to solve seemingly intractable problems, such rhetoric demonstrates how the climate crisis may serve to reinforce the political status quo.