UAE bid for COP28 focuses on economic possibilities in weather action
3 min readABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates has released a bid to host a landmark United Nations local weather alter meeting, trying to get to distinguish alone as a global local climate chief in a location continue to dominated by fossil fuels.
The UAE, 1 of the world’s most significant producers of crude oil, is lobbying to host the Council of Get-togethers (COP28) world wide local climate summit in Abu Dhabi in November 2023. The function is held each year and provides alongside one another world-wide leaders to deliberate local climate policy.
“The weather problem is challenging, but it is also matched by monumental possibility to generate economic advancement and task generation,” Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of International Affairs and Global Cooperation said in a assertion.
“As COP28 host, the UAE would leverage its encounter as a regional and worldwide convener to mobilize all actors in obtaining the Paris Arrangement and reinforcing the persuasive expenditure circumstance for increasing ambitions,” he included.
The UAE ideas to improve its oil generation potential to additional than 5 million barrels per working day by 2030, and is developing a coal fired ability plant. However, its pitch to host COP28 seeks to elevate its initiatives to make weather motion a pillar of its domestic and overseas policy and nationwide economic tactic, according to a 19-webpage official doc reviewed by CNBC.
Workers photographed strolling past a portion of solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai on March 20, 2017.
STRINGER | AFP | Getty Pictures
The UAE has currently allocated more than $1 billion in grants and very low-interest loans for renewable energy innovation to 70 nations around the world. It programs to use the conference to focus on the economic benefits of accelerated local weather action – a critical consideration as countries emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Kingdom is established to host the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November, billed as the most important considering that the singing of the Paris Accords in 2015. Underneath the UN regional rotation program, a but-to-be-decided African nation is scheduled to host COP 27 next 12 months.
Regional Motion
Participating in host for COP28 would be an accomplishment in the weather sphere for the Middle East – the world’s most popular, driest and most h2o-scarce location. By 2030, temperatures are anticipated to maximize a lot more than two times the world typical.
The UAE’s force also arrives amid intensifying regional and world local weather diplomacy, which has been amplified by a modify of administration in the U.S. and the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Exclusive Presidential Envoy for Weather, John Kerry, attended a climate improve-targeted regional dialogue hosted by the UAE in April. The UAE local weather envoy, Sultan Al Jaber, is now performing with the U.S. to coordinate initiatives to provide action on crucial local weather problems, such as decarbonization.
The UAE also hosted both preparatory meetings for Secretaries-Typical Ban Ki-moon’s and Antonio Guterres’ local weather summits in 2014 and 2019, and hosts a well-attended annual sustainability summit, the yearly Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
“By hosting COP28 in the UAE, we hope to leverage our working experience and potential to assist and maximize international climate ambition, although maximizing the economic positive aspects each regionally and globally,” mentioned Hana Al Hashimi, spokesperson for the Workplace of the UAE Special Envoy for Weather.
The UAE was the initially place in the location to signal and ratify the Paris Settlement, and the 1st in the location to commit to chopping emissions as portion of its Nationally Decided Contribution within just the accord. It is also household to the most significant single-web page solar facility in the entire world, the region’s 1st inexperienced hydrogen plant, a significant-scale carbon seize job, the Abu Dhabi dependent International Renewable Energy Agency and the renewable electricity company, Masdar.
“It truly is a simple fact that our prosperity as a region has been anchored by the blessing of a fossil fuel overall economy,” Masdar CEO Jameel Al Ramahi told CNBC on Tuesday. “While we are thankful to the blessing that we have and the wealth that we developed via fossil fuels, we are also committed to the future,” he mentioned.
“At a time when IRENA’s vision for the power program of the potential is rapidly becoming the mainstream route to restricting temperatures to 1.5 degrees, internet hosting COP will further fortify the UAE’s job in the worldwide electrical power changeover,” Intercontinental Renewable Electricity Company Director-Normal Francesco La Digicam told CNBC.
