A UAE climate negotiation team, presided over by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, is participating in the virtual meetings of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), launched on Monday and continues until June 17.
The meetings aim to pave the way for the most important discussions that will be presented during 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), set to take place in November 2021 in Glasgow, UK.
The most important items on the agenda include carbon pricing and climate equity that involves a fair distribution of the roles and responsibilities in carbon emission reduction and energy transition among developed and developing countries.
The virtual event emphasised the importance of providing developing countries with the support required to meet their national climate commitments.
The UAE team comprises the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change and representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC).
The team aims to advance the UAE’s global climate interests and highlight the country’s achievements in driving climate mitigation and adaptation at home and abroad in line with its voluntary commitments under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC.
These include an increase in its solar power capacity from 10 MW in 2009 to 2,400 MW in 2020, with an additional 6,000 MW either under development or planned until 2030, and the launch of the first reactor of the 5,600 Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant that will supply up to 25 percent of the country’s electricity needs once fully operational. Moreover, the UAE is developing the region’s first commercial-scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) network.
Globally, the country has helped advance the deployment of renewables through the US$350 million International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) / Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) Project Facility, as well as the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund and the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, valued at US$50 million each.
The country’s flagship renewables company Masdar has invested in clean energy projects with a total capacity of 10.7 GW in over 30 countries.
The team also seeks to underscore the UAE’s commitment to achieving the goals set out in its second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that was submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat in December 2020.
These include an enhanced target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 23.5 percent compared to business as usual for the year 2030, increasing clean power capacity to 14 GW by 2030, planting 30 million mangrove seedlings by 2030, adopting climate-smart agricultural methods, and promoting sustainable production and consumption.
In addition to providing an overview of the UAE’s strategies and efforts to accelerate the deployment of renewables and cut down on carbon emissions, the team aims to garner the necessary support for the country’s bid to host COP28 in 2023.