During his participation in the annual Petersberg Climate Dialogue, COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber urged governments to “think bigger, act bolder” on national climate plans.
Dr. Al Jaber highlighted the significance of the UAE Consensus, which emerged as a pivotal framework for global climate ambition and sustainable development. “The UAE Consensus represents a historic milestone in climate diplomacy, precisely because it achieved cross-sectoral breakthroughs across the entire climate agenda,” Dr. Al Jaber said. Moreover, it set a clear pathway for the energy transition and emphasized the imperative of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Call for ambition
Emphasizing the need to “think bigger, act bolder,” Dr. Sultan Al Jaber stated that the COP Presidencies Troika urges nations to be more ambitious with their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Moreover, he calls for governments to set out economy-wide emission reduction plans. He also stressed the importance of well-funded national adaptation plans to protect nature and transform food systems. Moreover, he underlined the critical role of green infrastructure in development plans.
Investment priorities
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber outlined four key investment priorities: infrastructure, technology, people, and the Global South. He emphasized the necessity of investing at least $6 trillion to meet the 2030 target of 11 terawatts of renewable energy capacity. Moreover, he reiterated the need for a similar investment in renewable energy infrastructure and outdated energy grids.
Furthermore, Dr. Al Jaber called for increasing investments in technology such as artificial intelligence to drive efficiencies and address intermittency challenges of renewable energy. “The faster we apply AI across energy and water-intensive sectors, the faster its benefits can be scaled,” Dr. Al Jaber stated. Additionally, he underscored the importance of developing new skills for the green economy and increasing investment in the Global South. “Right now, over 120 developing countries attract less than 15 percent of global clean tech investment,” he said.
Read: UAE to add 6.34 GW power capacity from 12 green projects by 2030: Energy Industries Council
Advancing NDCs across U.N. system
Looking ahead, the Troika, consisting of COP28, COP29 and COP30 Presidents, aims to advance the UAE Consensus-aligned NDCs across the U.N. system. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber reiterated the importance of maintaining momentum and collaboration to achieve meaningful climate action. He urged participants to have a frank conversation on how to address the urgency of the climate situation, while “maintaining energy security and economic prosperity.”
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