The UAE is fast-tracking low-carbon economic growth to deliver new jobs, new industries and new revenue streams, according to Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change.
Speaking at the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week (MENACW2022), Dr. Al Jaber explained that the UAE is adopting a comprehensive, balanced and proactive approach to climate action and the energy transition that delivers sustainable economic growth.
“As a young country, and a responsible energy leader, the UAE has always faced the future with a positive mindset, and addressed challenges head-on,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “This is why we achieved 0.01 percent methane intensity 20 years before the global pledge asking for a gradual reduction. And this is why we began to capture C02 (carbon dioxide) on an industrial scale before the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) called it an essential tool for de-carbonization. And it’s why we became the first hydrocarbon producer to power our operations with zero-carbon energy,” Dr. Al Jaber said.
He pointed out that the UAE was also the first country in the region to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement, the first to commit to an economy wide reduction in emissions and the first to announce a Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.
“The UAE has chosen to lead in these areas, because it views climate challenges not just as problems to fix, but as opportunities to seize,” Dr. Al Jaber said.
He urged the international community to do more and fulfil the $100 billion climate pledge made to developing nations over a decade ago.
“The international community continues to fall short of the $100 billion climate finance pledge they made to developing nations over a decade ago. We need bold targets going forward and we need to start treating climate risks as potential global security risks,” he said.
The MENA Climate Week aims to accelerate collaboration and integrate climate action into global pandemic recovery.
Other dignitaries present at the opening ceremony of this first edition included Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO) and MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); and Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC.