Oman, US advance cooperation to enhance carbon neutrality
Washington, US - The Sultanate of Oman and the United States held the second round of the Omani-american Strategic Dialogue in Washington, DC, on Saturday focusing on enhancing bilateral cooperation in environmental conservation and clean energy development.
The session, chaired by H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali al Harthy, Undersecretary for Political Affairs in the Foreign Ministry, and Jose Fernandez, Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment in the US Department of State, marks a significant step in strengthening ties between the two nations.
During the meeting, discussions centred around establishing robust communication channels between Omani university researchers and their American counterparts.
This collaboration aims to boost scientific research in vital areas such as environmental protection, clean energy, and innovative technologies.
Key topics included combating air and plastic pollution, enhancing environmental regulatory frameworks, and advancing practices in biodiversity preservation and natural reserve management.
The dialogue also covered climate change issues, the promotion of clean and renewable energy sources like green hydrogen, and technologies for carbon capture, utilisation and storage, with an overarching goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
Furthermore, the discussions extended to the use of technology in sustainable environmental management, improving readiness for environmental disasters, and exchanging expertise in educational, training, and awareness initiatives related to environmental conservation.
The dialogue also emphasised the importance of local management in mitigating environmental impacts and sharing best practices for strategic environmental decision-making.
This engagement is part of a broader initiative under the updated action plan for environmental cooperation for 2024-27, ratified between Oman and the United States in February this year.
This plan underscores the commitment of both countries to work collaboratively on environmental issues that have both regional and global implications.