UAE leader sets out priorities as US President Joe Biden tells nations to 'show up in Dubai with 2030 targets'
President Sheikh Mohamed has set the
scene for the Cop28 climate summit by urging nations to move “beyond setting
goals to achieving them”
As host nation, the UAE will focus on
getting concrete commitments to turn the tide of climate change
Sheikh Mohamed spoke as world leaders
attended a virtual climate event hosted
by US President Joe Biden
“Today at the Major Economies Forum
on Energy and Climate, we agreed on a joint commitment to accelerate action
aimed at combating climate change,” Sheikh Mohamed said on Twitter
“As the host of Cop28, the UAE will focus
efforts on moving beyond setting goals to achieving them”
In a statement carried by state news
agency Wam, Sheikh Mohamed stressed the importance of developed countries
fulfilling their pledge to provide $100 billion to developing countries
Opening the forum, Mr Biden urged
governments to come to Dubai in November with achievable targets
“Look, as we look forward to Cop28,
we all need to show up in Dubai with 2030 targets, and actions aligned with the
Paris temperature goals,” he said
“We're already seeing the signs of
what's to come if we don't
“More severe droughts, more floods,
seas rising, temperatures rising, weather instability, market unpredictability
“Together, we can't keep the goal of
limiting warming to just no more than 1.5ºC, it's within our reach, if we make
progress on the four key things we have to discuss today”
Failure to keep
global warming to 1.5ºC above preindustrial levels will, climate scientists
say, bring the world to the point of no return
Rising
temperatures are closely linked to extreme weather events and crop failure, and
scorching heat will leave some parts of the world uninhabitable
To keep this
from occurring, emissions — caused by the burning of fossil fuels, heavy
industry and mass food production, among other factors — must be cut by more
than 40 per cent by 2030
A key aspect of Cop28 in Dubai will
be a global “stocktake” on action agreed to in Paris in 2015, and the need to
spend trillions of dollars on renewables and clean sources of energy
“The UAE was the first Gulf country
to ratify the Paris Agreement, and the first in the region to commit to
reducing emissions in all economic sectors by the year 2030,” Sheikh Mohamed
said
“It has also announced its strategic
initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. We have invested over $150
billion in climate action and have ambitious plans for further investments in
this field in the future”
He said the Cop28 UAE Presidency will
be committed to achieving transformative climate action, moving from
deliberation to action, and delivering a comprehensive action plan for the
benefit of all people and the planet
“Energy and climate change are
closely intertwined,” Sheikh Mohamed said
“And thus it is essential that the
world accelerates its logical, realistic, and balanced transition in the energy
sector by increasing renewable energy production capacity by at least three
times and doubling hydrogen production
“It is crucial to enhance
international co-operation in technology transfer and provide the necessary
financing to support the energy transition and address the losses and damages,
especially in the Global South and communities most vulnerable to the impacts
of climate change”
Mr Biden announced $1 billion in US
funding during the virtual forum and requested $500 million for the Amazon Fund
to combat deforestation in Brazil
He invited other MEF countries to
join the US in raising at least $200 million by Cop28 to
help developing countries mitigate their own methane emissions
The countries that take part in the forum
account for about 80 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and
global gross domestic product, according to the White House
The lowest-income countries produce
one tenth of global emissions, but are the most heavily affected by climate
change, the World Bank reported. Climate change effects in these countries
include health problems, food and water stress, and more
Mr Biden's remarks echo concerns
voiced earlier this month in a roundtable discussion with Cop28 President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber,
International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva, and Mark
Carney, UN special envoy for climate action
“For vulnerable communities, across the Global South, climate finance is nowhere near available, affordable or accessible enough,” said Dr Al Jaber, who is also UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Antonio Guterres urged the international community to “put a price on carbon” and shift fossil fuel subsidies to finance a “just transition” to renewables
“The International Energy Agency
estimated that these subsidies came to $1 trillion in 2022 — which is
insanity,” said Mr Guterres
“Today’s policies would make our
world 2.8°C hotter by the end of the century … and this is a death sentence”
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