Goa – India (WAM)
His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and President-designate of the Conference of the Parties (COP28), confirmed that, in line with the vision of leadership in the UAE, the presidency of the conference focuses on dealing with challenges with a positive mindset to create promising opportunities from them, and is keen to strengthen cooperation with friends and partners around the world to support collective action in order to achieve sustainable development and build a better future for the current and future generations.
This came in a speech delivered by His Excellency during his participation in a high-level dialogue session on sustainable cooling systems that was held within the activities of the 14th G20 Ministerial Meeting on the transition in the energy sector, which was held in the state of Goa, the friendly Republic of India.
His Excellency called on all countries to join the Global Cooling Pledge, a partnership between the United Nations Environment Program and the COP28 Presidency, which was announced earlier this year.
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber praised the efforts of His Excellency Dan Jorgensen, Danish Minister of Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, and His Excellency Dr. Jitendra Singh, Indian Minister of Science and Technology for their commitment to leading work efforts on the issue of cooling, calling on all countries to unite efforts and join the cooling pledge.
The Global Cooling Pledge initiative is cooperating closely with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Organization for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll). With the aim of providing cooling and making it available to communities most vulnerable to the repercussions of climate change, especially in the countries of the global south, small island developing states and least developed countries, to protect them from extreme heat, and to preserve food, vaccines and medicines from spoilage.
Earlier this July, the appointed President of the COP28 Conference of the Parties announced the COP28 plan that responds to the global outcome to assess progress in implementing the goals of the Paris Agreement through four pillars: accelerating the achievement of a logical, practical and just transition in the energy sector, developing climate financing mechanisms, focusing on preserving people, life and livelihoods, and supporting these previous pillars by fully including everyone.
The initiative provides incentives for governments and all stakeholders to work on providing sustainable cooling within five areas: nature-based cooling solutions, increasing the efficiency of household electrical appliances, providing cooling for food and vaccines, district cooling, and “national cooling action plans.”
commitment
In his speech, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the Global Cooling Pledge. He said: “We cannot expand the scope of cooling if we are satisfied with the traditional business as usual. Without effective regulatory policies, the level of emissions in this sector will rise by rates ranging between 7 and 10%. The best solution to this challenge is to work on a rapid transition to energy-saving cooling systems that are environmentally and climate-friendly.
He added, “Through cooperation, partnership and redoubling efforts, we can turn the cooling challenge into an opportunity to provide cooling for those who need it, without contradicting the endeavors to achieve a logical, practical, responsible and fair transition in the energy sector.”
Climate change
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber pointed to the cooling crisis in countries most vulnerable to the repercussions of climate change as a matter of climate justice, and said: “Food and medicine depend on refrigeration, and this is an important issue at the heart of efforts to mitigate the repercussions of climate change and adapt to it. Cooling is also a matter of climate justice; Because low-income communities and families are disproportionately exposed to the effects of heat.”
He added, “The world is getting warmer, so sustainable cooling is a critical factor in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting against heat stress, enabling increased productivity, reducing food waste, and enhancing access to healthcare.”
His Excellency concluded his speech by saying: “The Global Cooling Pledge provides us with an exceptional opportunity to collectively respond to the cooling challenge, especially as this pledge aims to improve energy efficiency and expand the scope of sustainable cooling.
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