UAE AND US LAUNCH $4bn PLAN TO BOOST AGRICULTURE INNOVATION
AIM for Climate is anchored by $1bn contribution from the Emirates Sheikh Abdullah welcomes support for bid to host Cop28 UAE joins global efforts to cut methane emissions
A joint UAE and US initiative to boost investment in technology and innovation in agriculture was announced at Cop26 yesterday as leaders sought to deliver breakthroughs to help tackle climate change.
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, or AIM for Climate, will use $4 billion of increased investment to enhance resilience to climate change. The fund is anchored by a $1bn contribution from the UAE.
AIM for Climate’s diverse list of supporters comprises more than 30 countries, including the UK, Canada and Azerbaijan.
The UAE’s bid to host the Cop28 climate change talks has also received international backing, with the member states of the UN’s Asia-Pacific group announcing their support yesterday.
“We are grateful for the endorsement of the Asia-Pacific group of nations, indeed of all our partners in the international community advancing concrete solutions to the very real threat of climate change,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and head of the UAE’s delegation at Cop26.
The announcement brings the UAE one step closer to hosting the agenda-setting meeting in 2023.
In Glasgow yesterday, the focus was on the AIM for Climate announcement. Other backers for the initiative include prominent non-government agencies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as groups such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
“AIM for Climate is focusing on a sector that has been previously overlooked in terms of the opportunities it offers for global climate action,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Special Envoy for Climate Change.
Amid a round of commitments at the Cop26 venue, Dr Al Jaber hosted Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, at the UAE Pavilion.
“Proud that our historic, strategic ties with Morocco, based on our common goals, now extend into opportunities for co-operation in energy and climate action,” the Office of UAE Special Envoy For Climate Change said on Twitter.
Glasgow was also the setting for the UAE to sign on to the Global Methane Pledge as more than 100 countries aim to cut global emissions of a
greenhouse gas that plays a significant role in warming the Earth. The 103 countries promise to cut their methane output by at least 30 per cent this decade.
“Methane is one of the gases we can cut fastest,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “Doing that will immediately slow down climate change.”
The pledge, championed by the US and EU, was launched in Glasgow after months of diplomatic efforts to build support for it.
The countries that back it produce nearly half of global methane emissions and represent 70 per cent of global income.
The UAE hopes to share its experience in building a low-methane energy sector with the other signatories to the pledge, state news agency Wam reported.
“The UAE is a keen supporter of the global efforts to address climate change,” said Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and Minister of State for Food Security.
“Recognising the urgent need for multilateral co-operation in this regard, we are proud to join the Global Methane Pledge and reaffirm our commitment to cutting down on methane emissions through domestic policy-making and developing innovative solutions.”
The UK, US and UAE were among the countries together responsible for more than 85 per cent of the world’s forests pledged to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by the end of the decade.
The joint statement was backed by leaders of countries including Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.
The signatories plan to use $19bn in public and private finance to restore degraded land, tackle wildfires and protect the interests of indigenous people.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as a “landmark commitment”.
Speaking at the close of the leaders’ meeting yesterday, Mr Johnson said the conference was going into “extra time” in pursuit of its goals.
“We must take care to guard against false hope,” he said.
Mr Gates and the EU promoted a joint $1bn plan to scale up exploratory technologies to reduce emissions and promote pioneering solutions in the region.
The projects, which will be picked beginning next year, will focus on the areas of clean hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture and clean aviation fuel.
The US technology billionaire is the founder of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst but said none of the funds would be used to help fund nuclear projects.
In 1995, the UN launched its first “Conference of Parties”, or Cop climate summit in Bonn, Germany. The city has since hosted it three more times. This year’s conference has just started in the Scottish city of Glasgow. In 2015, Paris held one of the most important meetings in the series’ history, which saw the creation of the Paris Agreement. Signatories committed to limiting global warming to below 2°C, and preferably below 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
Europe has been at the centre of the UN’s climate dialogue for years. But preventing an environmental catastrophe is a global issue, and as the meeting has gone from relative obscurity to one of the most newsworthy international gatherings of the year, getting the world onboard has never been more important.
It is a difficult task, but there is progress, particularly with respect to the Middle East. Egypt is expected to host next year’s meeting, Cop27. And yesterday, the member states of the UN’s Asia-Pacific Group announced their support for the UAE’s bid to host Cop28 in 2023.
This development is particularly welcome because the region needs action and the UAE has played a pioneering role in leading that action. Temperature in the Middle East is thought to be rising at twice the average global rate, and it is the most water-stressed place on Earth.
The strength of the UAE’s candidacy is built on two pillars. One is that, on a practical level, the country is working intensely on climate solutions and has been for many years, from establishing Masdar to hosting the International Renewable Energy Agency. Last month, it unveiled a strategic initiative to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The UAE was also the first country in the region to sign up to the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The second pillar is that the UAE is well-placed to convene the international community, given its diplomatic record. Unfortunately, as the prominence of the meeting has risen over the years, it has in tandem become at times the victim of wider geopolitical disputes. Tensions between the West and China threatened to see the latter boycott this year’s gathering altogether. The UAE’s good relations across the West and East could help take the heat out of such tensions, and keep delegates’ minds focused on the task at hand. This has made it a preferred venue for high-level global meetings and events. In April, John Kerry, the US climate envoy, attended a regional dialogue hosted by the UAE on the environment. And at Expo 2020 Dubai, 192 nations are currently gathered at an event where fighting climate change is a major theme.
Discord at Cop26 – despite major achievements such as Monday’s commitment to end deforestation by 2030 – is proof that the world’s response to the climate crisis is still far from perfect. But the centre of gravity for the response is shifting to new regions, and that will certainly accelerate progress, as more parts of the world take leading roles in defining future climate policy. In the next few years, the Middle East may prove to be a vital staging ground for the battle against climate change.