UAE plans law on climate change
The UAE has adopted a series of ambitious visions and strategies, including the UAE Vision 2021, to promote sustainability
DUBAI: Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, has called for an acceleration in global efforts to ensure that the terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change are implemented without further delay.
The UAE has adopted a series of ambitious visions and strategies, including the UAE Vision 2021, to promote sustainability.
The minister said, “The UAE has supported these strategies and plans with robust and longstanding initiatives on the ground such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and Noor Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest solar power plant that is being built in the UAE capital at a cost of Dhs3.2 billion. We are currently in the process of assessing the adaptability of our environmental and economic systems to climate change impacts in a bid to boost their efficiency. In addition, we are about to issue the first law on climate change.”
DUBAI: Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, has called for an acceleration in global efforts to ensure that the terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change are implemented without further delay.
The UAE has adopted a series of ambitious visions and strategies, including the UAE Vision 2021, to promote sustainability. The UAE Energy Strategy 2050 seeks to bring the share of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50 per cent, while the National Climate Change Plan of the UAE streamlines the concept of climate change mitigation and adaptation across the government and private sector.
The minister said, “The UAE has supported these strategies and plans with robust and long-standing initiatives on the ground such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and Noor Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest solar power plant that is being built in the UAE capital at a cost of Dhs3.2 billion. We are currently in the process of assessing the adaptability of our environmental and economic systems to climate change impacts in a bid to Boost THEIR EFICIENCY. In ADDITION, we ARE About to Issue THE irst law on climate change.”
Dr Al Zeyoudi conveyed the UAE’S message to the international community in his address at the 24th Conference of the Parties, COP24, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, in Katowice, Poland, on 12th December.
Delegates from more than 190 countries and territories were part of the audience at the event that aims to formulate the required legislation to ensure the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The minister met Antonio Guterres, Secretary-general of the United Nations, on the sidelines of the conference and discussed the challenges posed by climate change and the ways for the international community to cooperate in mitigating its effects.
The UN Secretary-general praised the UAE’S prominent role in combating global warming and its efforts globally in supporting initiatives to reduce the consequences of climate change.
EXPERIMENTING
In his speech, Dr Al Zeyoudi pointed to the importance of experimenting with models that have proved successful in reducing the effects of climate change, across several sectors. In addition, he called for the adoption of renewable and clean energy projects and called for the dissemination of solutions through effective international initiatives.
“The UAE has also – through its government and semi-government entities – helped deploy renewable energy solutions across the world. The work of the Uae-caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, which allocates millions of dollars to execute renewable energy projects that help reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the Caribbean island Countries, testiies to THE Country’s efforts,” he added.
Dr Al Zeyoudi noted that in early 2018, the ministry launched the Climate Project on a global scale with THE OBJECTIVE of positively Inluencing 10 million people around the world and helping them become resilient to climate change impacts.
The minister pointed out that the impacts of climate change, highlighted in previous cycles, were growing in intensity and frequency, and adversely affecting the lives of millions of people.