- UAE coordinates with UK and Egypt to ensure continuity at COP28
- Climate action, peace, stability and prosperity are closely intertwined
- Our goal is to reduce emissions, not reduce growth and progress
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Special Envoy of the UAE for Climate Change, affirmed the vision of the wise leadership in the UAE for climate action as one of the main enablers for achieving stability and economic prosperity.
He stressed that the UAE is continuing its efforts to support progress and achievement in climate action by playing an active role in the conferences of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and other relevant international events, and building on its outputs in preparation for hosting the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties (COP28) in the country. UAE in 2023.
This came during his participation in the “Munich Security Conference”, which started on Saturday and will continue until February 20.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: “Although climate change is still one of the biggest global challenges, the world after COP26 has become in a much better position than it was before, especially since 90% of global economies announced their commitment to Climate neutral. This commitment is a clear indication that this is the right time to invest in low-carbon solutions, which represent promising opportunities valued at several trillion dollars, creating jobs, new sectors, and opening a new door of hope for present and future generations.”
He added, “The COPs play a pivotal role in enabling a course of action to accelerate low-carbon economic development. The basis for success in this is the participation of all parties and the provision of equal opportunities for the public and private sectors, the scientific and civil societies, and the developing and developed countries for discussion and interaction. I am certain that the upcoming COP27 in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt will complete what has been achieved in the twenty-sixth COP26, and we in the UAE are looking forward to playing our role as host of COP28, and we will build on what has been achieved Progress, while ensuring that the conference includes all concerned parties, and focuses on practical solutions.
He participated in a panel discussion entitled “Scaling Up Climate Action” during the first day of the Munich Security Conference, along with Senator John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Affairs, Dr. Abul Kalam Abdul Mumin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bangladesh, and Dr. Franziska Brantner, Minister A state in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Moderated by Zani Menton Beddos, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, the panel discussed the importance of climate cooperation at a time of rising geopolitical tensions around the world. On this subject, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: “Times like this demonstrate the importance of international cooperation. Whatever the differences, climate change remains a common global challenge. And we must bear in mind that proactive climate action offers great economic opportunities that will enhance the convergence of nations. By focusing on uniting our efforts around a common challenge, the opportunities for cooperation increase and the potential for disagreement decreases.”
He added: “The UAE supports initiatives aimed at advancing climate action on the path of progress, including the proposal made by German Chancellor Olaf Schultz for the Group of Seven industrialized countries to launch an “International Climate Club”, with a focus on ensuring the participation of all parties, The existence of a real will and clear goals, without depriving developing countries of opportunities to participate and benefit.”
He pointed out that the repercussions of climate change could exacerbate conflicts if they were not addressed. He said: “With the persistence of harsh climatic conditions, the repercussions began to appear on a range of issues, including food and water security, which leads to escalation of disputes in the future.
In other words, climate concerns turn into security concerns. Therefore, we need to redouble our efforts to deal with these challenges, and we must focus more on enhancing resilience, adapting and adapting to climate change.”
He continued, “To move our efforts forward, we need to adopt a more proactive approach at the level of all international multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations and the Group of Twenty. Advanced technology will have a key role in achieving this goal by taking advantage of its applications, such as integrating artificial intelligence and big data into prediction models of humanitarian organizations, so that we can allocate the necessary resources before a disaster strikes. Knowledge itself is power, and we must harness this power to protect societies from what can be expected.”
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber also stressed the need to increase investment in agricultural technology and take advantage of best practices to protect food and water security in countries most vulnerable to the repercussions of climate change. With the United States of America and with the participation of 37 countries, with the aim of increasing investments in innovative agricultural systems, starting from drought-resistant seeds to high-efficiency vertical farming in water consumption.
These investments that we make today focus on helping countries and societies to adapt to the effects of the climate and enhance their resilience and stability, so that peace will be the fruit of these investments in the future.”
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber reiterated that the UAE supports smart financing for climate action, and also stressed that the world must fulfill its commitments to provide $100 billion in climate finance annually to developing countries, saying: “These countries bear the least responsibility for climate change, despite Rather, it bears the greater cost of not taking sufficient measures to confront it. Therefore, it is necessary to direct the appropriate amount of funding to the countries that need it most, which will lead to the consolidation of peace, stability and prosperity, not only in developing countries, but also in the whole world.
He concluded his participation by talking about the issue of transformation in the energy sector and said: “We must realize that transformation in the energy sector cannot happen overnight. And that ensuring energy security in the world requires continuous use of all available energy sources for years to come. Continuing investment in oil and gas that is less carbon intensive and less costly to produce is essential. We must always realize that our goal is to reduce emissions, not reduce growth rates and progress.”
(Loan)