Abu Dhabi (Al Ittihad)
The UAE has a pioneering path in working for climate and environmental protection at the local and global levels, as it was the first country in the region to sign and abide by the Paris Climate Agreement, which was adopted during the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change «COP21» in the French capital in 2015. Over the past years, the UAE has made many achievements in reducing the causes of climate change. The Paris climate agreement aims to commit to reducing global temperatures to what is “well below” two degrees Celsius and to strive to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to ensure that the planet is protected from the catastrophic consequences of climate change. The “Impact” axis, as part of the “National Sustainability” campaign that was launched recently, in conjunction with the preparations for the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which will be held from November 30 to December 12 of this year at Dubai Expo City, reviews the impact. Positive for the sustainability initiatives in the UAE in various fields, as the campaign aims to raise awareness about environmental sustainability issues, and encourage community participation.
The sustainableuae.ae campaign website highlights national initiatives and success stories in the field of sustainability, as the UAE has a proven track record in the field of sustainability, through pioneering initiatives and projects that reflect the well-established values of preserving the environment, community traditions, and other authentic heritage values.
The UAE is keen to enhance joint cooperation with the countries of the world, relevant organizations and authorities in order to advance international climate action, especially with the approaching convening of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which is of great importance in achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, in terms of The conference is scheduled to witness the first global assessment of the progress of countries in implementing their obligations under the agreement, in addition to defining the contributions of nationally determined countries for the future. climate in the future.
Proactive actions
The UAE participated with many countries of the world in the signing ceremony of the Paris Climate Agreement during a ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in April 2016, with the aim of building bridges of cooperation and communication with the international community to find the best ways and practices to reduce the repercussions of climate change. In September 2016, the UAE handed over Document of ratification of the Paris Agreement during the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
Over the past years, the UAE has taken a set of measures to address the phenomenon of climate change and environmental challenges, most notably the announcement in 2021 of the strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which comes as a culmination of Emirati efforts aimed at contributing positively to the issue of climate change, and working to transform challenges in this regard. The sector leads to opportunities that guarantee a bright future for future generations.
The initiative is in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement to motivate countries to prepare and adopt long-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures below one and a half degrees Celsius to two degrees, compared to pre-industrial levels.
Initiatives to combat climate change
The UAE has pursued an integrated policy for climate protection that includes many strategies and initiatives, including the National Plan for Climate Change 2017-2050, which represents a roadmap to support national activities and initiatives aimed at facing climate challenges, in addition to the National Program for Adaptation to Climate Change, which aims to enhance resilience. The state and its ability to adapt to the effects of climate change, where the various stakeholders from federal and local bodies, private sector institutions and civil society were involved in cooperation in identifying and prioritizing the most urgent risks for four main sectors that are considered most vulnerable to the risks of climate impacts, namely: public health, energy and infrastructure and environment.
national contributions
The Paris Climate Agreement obligated the signatory countries to announce nationally determined contributions to reduce emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change. The first contributions aim to increase the share of clean energy to 24% of the total energy mix by 2021, before the state takes the initiative to reduce emissions to zero by 2050.
In 2020, the UAE handed over its second Nationally Determined Contribution to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which included raising the ceiling of these contributions, including increasing efforts to reduce emissions, enhancing reliance on clean energy, expanding carbon storage efforts, blue carbon projects, and sustainable agricultural and management systems. waste, and the contributions included the most prominent current and future plans and efforts of the state to adapt to the repercussions of climate change and reduce its severity. The goal of reducing emissions in all economic sectors included in the Nationally Determined Contributions of the UAE included its ambition and commitment to continue to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases, up to achieving a decrease of 23.5% from the normal situation for business for the year 2030, which is equivalent to an absolute reduction in emissions by about 70 million tons, and represented This goal is an affirmation of the country’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement, as it is the best option for dealing with the problem of the repercussions of climate change and efforts to reduce and adapt to it.
Under the goal of enhancing adaptive capabilities with the repercussions of climate change, the UAE affirmed its commitment to continuing efforts to preserve coastal ecosystems and the blue carbon project by planting millions of trees. food and promoting sustainable production and consumption behaviours.
Having delivered its second Nationally Determined Contribution on Climate Change to the United Nations; The UAE has become the first country in the region to commit to reducing emissions in all aspects of its economic sectors by 2030.
reduce emissions
In 2023, the Cabinet approved the third edition of the second Nationally Determined Contributions Report for the UAE – under the Paris Climate Agreement – in support of the objectives of the UAE Strategic Initiative to strive to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
The updated version reinforced the country’s climate ambition by raising the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent by 2030, compared to the normal business situation, in which emissions are expected to record approximately 301 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, taking into account the annual economic growth rate. Based on the growth base over the past years.
The new emissions reduction target is equivalent to avoiding emissions of 119 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The updated version came in response to the call of the Glasgow Climate Charter – one of the most important outcomes of the twenty-sixth session of the “COP26” conference – the need for countries to raise their climate ambition by the end of 2022 to enhance their capabilities to face the challenges of climate change.
The updated report recorded an increase in the target of reducing emissions from 31 percent to 40 percent by 2030, by enhancing the participation of a group of major sectors in reducing emissions, including electricity generation, industry, transportation, carbon capture, use and storage, and integrated waste management.
And based on its role as a major player in the efforts exerted to address the phenomenon of climate change globally, the UAE continues to launch initiatives that ensure a balance between the desired economic and social development during the coming decades, and protecting the environment and enhancing its sustainability.
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