Sustainability

Climate minister starts 100-day countdown to Cop28

August 22, 2023, 11:00 AM

Climate minister Mariam Almheiri, pictured in Washington, says the 1.5C target “remains within the world’s reach" — Climate minister Mariam Almheiri, pictured in Washington, says the 1.5C target 'remains within the world’s reach'

UN climate summit begins on November 30
Collaboration is vital, says Almheiri
140 heads of state set to attend

Collaboration is vital to the success of this year’s Cop28, the UAE minister of climate change and environment has said as the country marks 100 days to the start of the summit.

Leaders from the public and private sectors will gather in Dubai in November – and climate minister Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri said on Tuesday the UAE was focused on “collaborating closely with all stakeholders to amplify our conference’s global goals”.

Almheiri said the Emirati government was working to forge “a resilient climate and ecological future”, pointing to its updated National Energy Strategy, which will treble renewable investment to as much as AED200 billion ($54 billion) over the next seven years.

The strategy seeks to raise the share of clean energy to 30 percent of the UAE’s mix by 2031.

The UAE government also aims to reduce carbon emissions across the country by 40 percent by 2030, ahead of its net zero target in 2050.

Almheiri said the Emirates’ approach to climate change was based on “inclusivity and synchronised efforts” involving federal and local government bodies, the private sector and community members from a variety of backgrounds.

It was revealed this week that six UAE banks allocated AED190 billion for the financing of renewable energy, waste-to-energy and green technology projects in the years up to 2022.

This year’s UN climate summit will be held at Dubai’s Expo site.

It will be the first global stocktake since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, when countries pledged to keep long-term average temperature increases within 1.5C.

The World Meteorological Organization is predicting a 66 percent chance that this number will be exceeded for an entire year before 2027, but Almheiri said the target “remains within the world’s reach”.

More than 80,000 delegates, 5,000 journalists and 140 heads of state are expected to attend Cop28.

The host nation, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, wants the 14-day event to provide “bold, practical and ambitious solutions to the most pressing global challenge of our time”.