The energy transformation is necessary to make the earth “wealthier and healthier,” said Sultan al-Jaber, UAE Industry Minister, and the leader of this year’s UN climate talks (COP 28).
The fight against global warming should not come at the expense of economic growth, according to al-Jaber, who is also CEO of the oil company ADNOC.
Read more: Sheikh Mohammed: Hosting COP 28 will be UAE’s biggest event in 2023
He stated at a graduation ceremony at the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence that “we need to keep down the global rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees (Celsius), without halting economic progress.”
“Especially in the Global South, we must spearhead an inclusive energy transformation that leaves no one behind. We must simultaneously increase the prosperity and health of our world,” he added.
The UAE is promoting carbon capture, which involves extracting carbon dioxide from the air or as fuel is used. Additionally, it is investing billions to produce enough renewable energy to meet 50% of its demands by 2050, and it aims to achieve net-zero domestic carbon emissions by that time, excluding pollution from oil exports.
Simon Stiell, the head of the UN’s climate change agency, told AFP earlier this month that Al Jaber had expressed “an openness to making this a transformative COP” but that COP28 comes at a “pivotal moment.”
He stated that the COP being hosted by the UAE provides an opportunity to raise “serious questions” concerning climate change and the hydrocarbons sector.
Moreover, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) and as president of COP28, the UAE hosted earlier this month a high-level discussion on climate change, peace and security.
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