The best win-win scenario is when you do the right thing to advance your own interests, while also making everyone else a winner in your actions.
The climate action of the UAE is such a perfect example of such a favorable situation that we can safely assume that even without coordinated global action on climate change, the country would have taken this path on its own.
The UAE leadership views the environmental challenge as an opportunity rather than a responsibility, and is planning, as President Sheikh Mohammed announced, during his participation in the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate hosted by US President Joe Biden several months ago, to dedicate “50 billion dollars to address climate change around the world.” “. according to the National: Sheikh Mohammed said that the UAE has invested more than 50 billion dollars in renewable energy projects in 40 countries, and plans to double this amount during the next decade.
This is not just the story of a country fulfilling its obligations as a member of the international community. The UAE stands out as a significant contributor to this global cause, for example, as the host of the International Renewable Energy Agency. It has provided more than $1 billion in renewable energy assistance across 70 countries, as well as billions of dollars in climate-related humanitarian relief. The UAE was the first in the Middle East to sign the Paris Agreement, the first country to make its NDC in 2015, and among 13 countries to make its NDC.
Hosting the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, in 2023 will be another major milestone in the UAE’s climate action for the international community.
Energy transfer occurs at the correct pace
This is only one side of a larger picture. Through leadership and example, the UAE is proving to its peers that investing in combating the climate challenge is profitable from multiple angles. This is especially true given the world’s accelerating shift in energy sources from fossil fuels to clean energy, a change that complements the drive toward a knowledge-based economy.
This of course does not mean that the world is ready to make this energy transition prematurely, as it will leave gaps in energy security around the world. Talking to the National Recently, the UAE Special Envoy on Climate Change, Dr Sultan Al Jaber said: “The reality is that energy security and climate action go hand in hand. In fact, you can’t have one without the other. The simple fact is that if people’s basic energy needs are not met, economies slow down and this also puts limits on climate action. Policymakers are beginning to understand the fact that the energy transition will not happen at the push of a button. They are ready to have a real-life conversation about what a realistic energy transmission might look like.”
This transformation is happening at the right pace, involves a change in investment policies in the region, and is likely to attract foreign investment in this sector. In fact, the trend in the UAE has prompted the US Department of Commerce to urge US exporters to seize “the many opportunities in the UAE’s clean technology and environmental technologies sectors”.
The ministry’s report issued in July 2022 stated that “the UAE leadership realizes that pursuing the country’s economic growth and protecting the environment can be achieved together,” referring to the fact that “the UAE has pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and has announced that it will do so.” $163 billion in clean and renewable energy and key technologies [by the same year]”.
There is an element of soft power here, a central pillar of the UAE’s foreign policy, with aid playing a central role. The way in which policy goals reinforce each other is evident in how the UAE’s foreign aid to fragile countries is spent on building renewable energy plants.
Another vital issue while talking about climate change is the tangible and widely recognized threat it poses to national security. In its 2015 National Security Strategy, the US administration defined climate change as an “urgent and growing threat to our national security, contributing to an increase in natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over essential resources such as food and water.”
The UAE has been aware of this all along. Ahead of the Cop26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the country joined voices calling for more global attention to the security impact of climate change.
As Egypt prepares for the Cop27 stage next month, followed by the UAE-hosted 2023 edition of the event, the UAE will continue to advocate an approach to climate change, which was summarized by Dr. to meet, and draw on its expertise in climate bridge-building diplomacy to advance the “leave no one behind” approach to inclusive climate action.
For everyone to be prepared, they should follow the lead of the UAE, which wants the winners to emerge in the global community’s efforts on climate change.
Published: October 11, 2022, 4:00 AM
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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