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UAE, Germany host Petersberg Climate Dialogue; minister highlights nation's efforts, vision

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri emphasised that the Emirates was the first Arab country to sign the Paris Climate Agreement

Published: Wed 3 May 2023, 12:29 AM

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Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment to the UAE, is participating in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue event this week to highlight the UAE's efforts and ambitious vision for enhancing global climate action. The event, which is hosted by the UAE and Germany, aims to showcase the latest initiatives, discuss ways to collaborate with various global stakeholders and review opportunities for cooperation.

Participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which began on Monday and continues through Wednesday, include Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, United Nations Climate Change Champion for COP28 and President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as representatives from 40 participating countries, to discuss how best to move forward in the fight against climate change.

Yesterday, Mariam Almheiri received German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and various ministers and representatives of the participating countries at the UAE embassy in Berlin. The most critical common climate and environmental issues were discussed, and Almheiri emphasised the UAE's keenness to strengthen cooperation with friendly countries, organisations, and relevant entities to push global climate action and build an integrated system of constructive cooperation, especially with the upcoming COP28 conference in the UAE this year.

She said: "The upcoming COP conference represents a huge opportunity for all of us to find practical solutions to all the climate issues at hand and to work to employ those solutions in promoting economic and social prosperity for everyone."

She emphasised the UAE was the first Arab country to sign the Paris Climate Agreement and the first country in the region to announce its climate neutrality strategy by 2050. She added the UAE submitted its nationally determined contributions in 2015 and has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 31 per cent by 2030.

She pointed out that the UAE is undertaking significant measures to fulfil its climate goals and urged all parties to engage all active stakeholders and sectors to establish a joint mechanism that will accelerate efforts to combat climate change, work on promoting clean and renewable energy, and remove carbon from various industries.

On the first day of the Petersburg Climate Dialogue, Almheiri participated in a special session on 'Just Energy Transition', discussing topics related to carbon removal. She emphasised the importance of removing carbon from various sectors, especially the industrial sector, to achieve emissions reduction targets. She also pointed out that one of the main goals of COP28 meetings will be to push for a 43 per cent reduction in global emissions to advance the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Almheiri also discussed the topic of renewables in a session, explaining that the world should prioritise clean and renewable energy to reduce emissions by tripling renewable energy sources three times by 2030 and six times by 2040, in addition to doubling hydrogen production by 2030. She also pointed out that the UAE is working hard to reduce its emissions to meet its climate commitments by adopting low-carbon technologies in the economy and investing in renewable and nuclear energy. She mentioned that 70 per cent of the UAE's economy is non-oil.

Almheiri also discussed in the session the topic of 'Financial Flows to support energy transition', explaining that the UAE believes in the importance of the green financing for projects and efforts to enhance energy efficiency and ensure the transition to more sustainable and environmentally friendly systems locally and globally. This is highlighted through many contributions, such as supporting the Abu Dhabi Development Fund and Masdar's accelerator platform for energy transition financing, affiliated with the International Renewable Energy Agency and worth $1 billion last year. Additionally, the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund was established with a value of $50 million to provide modern electricity services to three remote villages in Belize for the first time, in addition to focusing on developing projects in 16 Caribbean countries. This is in addition to signing a strategic partnership between the UAE and the United States of America to invest $100 billion in implementing clean energy projects with a production capacity of 100 gigawatts in the UAE, the United States, and various parts of the world by 2035.

During the discussions, Almheiri highlighted that international cooperation is necessary to support financial flows for a just energy transition. She pointed out that advanced countries can provide financial assistance, build capacity, and transfer technology to developing countries, enabling them to pursue low-carbon pathways while facing social and economic challenges.

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