COP27: UAE to address impact of climate change as world gathers in Egypt

More than 120 world leaders will come together to discuss ways to tackle climate change at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from Sunday.

The annual summit sees climate change negotiations and decisions made to limit global warming and accelerate the green energy transition.

At the summit, coming a year after COP26 in Glasgow, the UAE will highlight its climate actions, solutions and achievements as well as its preparations to host COP28 next year, the state news agency WAM said.

The priorities of the UAE delegation will include addressing the impacts of climate change, ensuring a practical and realistic transition in the energy sector, support to economic growth, and enhancing access to technology.

The UAE’s vast record of achievements in climate action is an opportunity to help find practical solutions to this global issue that affects everyone. Recently, the UAE and the US inked a comprehensive strategic partnership to invest $100 billion into clean energy. Proving its capabilities to the world, Infinity Power Holding – Abu Dhabi-based Masdar’s joint venture with Egypt’s Infinity, will be powering COP27 with zero-carbon energy.

The summit comes at a time when the world is witnessing an increase in climate-related disasters. Through deliberations among the top minds of the world, the summit is expected to come up with concrete options to climate change, rising temperature, adherence to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees among others.

The Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre (SHICC) will form the COP27’s Blue Zone – where all crucial negotiations among delegates are set to take place.

Exuding hope, Ambassador Wael Aboulmagd, Special Representative to the COP27 President, said that the Egyptian Presidency team has worked tirelessly to create an “enabling environment that is conducive to successful negotiations”.

“As the hosts of the COP, we are keen on bringing representatives of nations and stakeholders from across the world and to provide the required momentum to address the required actions for urgent and at-scale implementation of climate commitments and pledges.”

Earlier, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Higher Committee responsible for overseeing preparations for COP28, noted that the UAE delegation would focus on “supporting the Egyptian Presidency of COP27”.

Through its close partnership with Egypt, the UAE will link the outcomes of COP27 and COP28 to support climate action and raise awareness of its visions and efforts to achieve sustainability.

With more than 40,000 estimated attendees, the summit is expected to host one of the largest number of participants in the conference, which runs till November 18.

The UAE delegation includes representatives of government and private sector institutions, business leaders, civil society organisations, women, and youth. A 22,500sqm ‘Green Zone’ is where the business community, youngsters, artists and climate actors will have an opportunity for dialogue and engagement through events, exhibitions, workshops, cultural performances, and talks.

UAE’s climate actions

During the event, the UAE will emphasise its commitment to address climate impacts, which has been raised as a critical concern for countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

The UAE has embarked on the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, making the country the first Mena nation to do so. The country, a global leader in the energy transition, has invested more than $50 billion over the past 10 years in clean energy technologies and solutions around the world, building three of the largest and lowest-cost solar projects in the world. The UAE’s Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme further emphasises the UAE’s energy diversification strategy.

The UAE is among the world’s largest humanitarian aid donors and provides direct aid during times of climate-related disasters and conflicts, whose repercussions are exacerbated by climate change. The country was the first in the region to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement in 2015.

The UAE announced a plan to increase the number of mangrove trees to 100 million by 2030, to promote natural solutions to limit the repercussions of climate change, protect biodiversity and help create a natural carbon store.

In September 2022, the UAE launched the updated version of the second edition of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 31 per cent by 2030.

The UAE is a leading global investor in renewable energy projects allocating $100 billion by 2030 for projects in more than 70 countries. It is empowering communities around the world and delivering sustainable solutions, through initiatives such as the Zayed Sustainability Prize.

The UAE is strengthening the capacities of the youth, through hosting establishments such as the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

The UAE has three of the largest solar power plants in the world and is the first country in the region to utilise carbon capture and storage technology on a large-scale, while diversifying its sources of emission-free energy, including peaceful nuclear energy and hydrogen.

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