Strong food security top priority of UAE
SHARJAH: Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “As leaders from 40 countries convene for the Leaders Summit on Climate in Washington, the world must come up with bold solutions to our biggest existential threat — climate change.
“Climate change amplifies the challenges of water scarcity and limited arable land that have a significant negative impact on agriculture in regions across the globe. To overcome these issues, we must adopt climate-smart cultivation techniques, such as vertical farming, hydroponics, organic farming, and controlled-environment agriculture. Maximising yields, optimising resource use, and reducing emissions, these practices address the critical water-energy-food nexus. Innovation plays a key role in devising new agricultural methods and technologies that help enhance the sustainability of the sector and boost food security.
“Agriculture has been on top of the agenda for the UAE since the establishment of the country by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Our wise leadership continues the legacy of our founding father with its forward-looking vision for the development of the sector that has enabled us to make great strides in agricultural R&D and the adoption of groundbreaking agri-tech.
“The announcement of the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate ( AIM-C) is the next step in our efforts that reinforces the UAE’S pioneering position in climate action. I am confident that the initiative will go a long way in atracting investment to agricultural R&D that will, in turn, fast-track the development and deployment of cuting-edge solutions in the vital sector worldwide. Only this way can we preserve our precious natural resources for future generations.”
On the occasion of Earth Day, The Sustainable City — Dubai’s first community designed to achieve net-zero energy — joined The Climate Pledge, a global commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement targets. This ambition is in line with the company’s long-term target to spearhead the way towards net-zero carbon living.
The Climate Pledge was launched in 2019 by Amazon and Global Optimism and aims to unite leading global businesses in a forwardthinking and ambitious commitment to reverse the detrimental effects of climate change. The Sustainable City is the first entity from the Middle East to join this global pledge.