Pro-climate, pro-growth: UAE’s presidency of COP28 will strengthen the voices of the under-represented

With the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023 underway, all eyes are on key sustainable development priorities ahead of the UAE’s Presidency of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28).

As the UAE’s global initiative to accelerate sustainable development, ADSW will enable impactful dialogue between global stakeholders and decision-makers on practical, pro-climate and pro-growth solutions for a net-zero future.

Much like ADSW 2023, COP28 will focus on inclusive dialogue, convening governments, scientists, the private sector, youth and civil society to work together on realistic and pragmatic pathways to solutions. This focus on inclusive dialogue and pragmatism was demonstrated last week with the appointment of Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, as President-Designate for COP28. As Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and founding chairman of Masdar Clean Energy, Al Jaber brings decades of diverse leadership experience in government and business, climate policy, and across the renewable and conventional energy sectors. He has been an active, outcomes-focused participant at over 10 COPs and is deeply involved in the COP process.

COP28 will conclude the first Global Stocktake (GST) — an audit that will demonstrate the gaps between stated climate ambition and reality. Through the GST, COP28 will examine how the world has performed against the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100.

Towards this, COP28 will deliver clear, compelling roadmaps for climate adaptation, global energy transition and a loss and damage fund.

COP28 is envisioned as a “solutions COP” with the UAE focused on delivering the Global Stocktake and the Global Goal for Adaptation, as well as achieving practical outcomes which intensify global action to combat climate impact.

COP28 will aim to strengthen the voices of under-represented and vulnerable communities, while building consensus for better, more efficient and more equitable access to climate finance to accelerate the deployment of climate solutions across the world, especially in the Global South.

The Gulf region’s climatic conditions have given the UAE a unique appreciation of climate change as a challenge to be tackled in partnership with the entire global community. As the first Gulf country to 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 is committed to raising ambition in this critical decade for climate action. Over the last 16 years, the UAE has invested $50 billion in setting up renewable infrastructure across over 70 countries. Today, it operates three of the world’s largest and lowest-cost solar plants. Over the next decade, the UAE will invest at least another $50 billion in clean energy projects at home and abroad, and provide citizens and residents with 14 GW of clean power by 2030.

The UAE is also looking to the future of clean energy — hydrogen, a zero-carbon fuel. Through its investments, as well as partnerships with countries such as India, the UAE aims to become a competitive global hydrogen supplier and expand the hydrogen value chain. The UAE’s commitment to investments in clean energy is clearly aligned with India’s plan to increase renewable capacity to 500 GW by 2030. At the end of November 2022, India had achieved 166.36 GW of installed renewable capacity, with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimating that an investment of at least $29.9 billion would be required to reach the 500 GW target. The UAE remains a natural partner for such an investment.

Alongside energy investments, the UAE has pursued “natural carbon capture”. One very tangible example of this is the UAE’s pledge of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030. Mangroves serve as natural carbon sinks that capture more carbon per hectare than rainforests. Beyond carbon capture, mangroves offer the additional benefits of preventing coastal erosion and encouraging biodiversity, representing the kind of practical solutions that climate change requires.

By establishing the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC), the UAE is working closely with Indonesia to spread awareness worldwide on the mangroves’ role in curbing global warming. India joined the MAC initiative as a partner at its launch at COP27, and we look forward to increased cooperation on the rehabilitation of blue carbon ecosystems. Even as we accelerate towards implementing the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, there is a clear understanding of the interim role of oil and gas. By geology and design, the UAE’s hydrocarbons are among the least carbon-intensive in the world. The nation is committed to reducing the carbon intensity of its operations a further 25 per cent over the next decade, and our unique low-carbon energy capabilities will support the decarbonisation transition for industries worldwide.

As COP President, the UAE is acutely aware of its responsibility to bring the international community together. We are cognisant that climate action cannot be achieved alone; it requires bilateral and multilateral partnerships, which must be founded on mutual growth opportunities. India, which was recently ranked among the world’s top five nations in climate change performance, demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships.

Furthermore, cooperation between our two countries across renewable deployment, agri-efficiency, green hydrogen, sustainable finance, and carbon market development, makes India a valued partner to the UAE’s COP Presidency.