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Over the past decades, the UAE has made pioneering achievements in clean technology, with the aim of diversifying its economy and energy mix.
As a pioneer in climate action, the UAE was the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement, the first country to commit to reducing emissions in the economy, and the first country in the region to commit to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Today, the UAE is one of the world’s largest investors in clean energy projects, and has invested $50 billion in more than 70 countries, including 31 developing island nations that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It has also committed an additional investment of $50 billion over the next decade in many countries to accelerate the transition towards clean energy.
Finally, it signed with the United States a strategic partnership agreement to accelerate the transition to clean energy, achieve the two countries’ common climate goals, and support global energy security; It aims to catalyze $100 billion in funding and support, and implement clean energy projects with a production capacity of 100 gigawatts in the UAE, the United States, and emerging economies by 2035.
These achievements are in line with the UAE’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 13 of them, which is to “take urgent action to address climate change and its impacts.”
In 2006, the UAE launched “Masdar”, which has become one of the fastest growing renewable energy companies in the world, and aspires to achieve a power generation capacity of more than 100 gigawatts by 2030, and it has played a major role in shaping the renewable energy sector in the UAE and international markets.
In 2008, the UAE reinforced its commitment to sustainability by launching the World Future Energy Summit, which became one of the main events of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Starting with the annual General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which witnesses the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards ceremony, the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Exhibition has developed into one of the largest sustainability gatherings in the world.
The UAE is now an example, home to three of the world’s largest and least expensive solar power plants. It is also a partner in many transformative projects internationally, including the first commercial-scale floating wind farm, Hywind Scotland.
As part of efforts to expand access to clean energy locally and internationally, the UAE was chosen to host the new headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in 2009.
Headquartered in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, a pioneering sustainable urban development project begun in 2008, today it is home to a growing pool of clean technologies, and one of the highest concentrations of zero-carbon buildings in the world.
The UAE has demonstrated its long-term commitment to the energy transition, in partnership with IRENA, to launch the $1 billion Energy System Transformation Accelerator (ETAF). This global mechanism for financing climate projects aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, by supporting the provision of 1.5 GW of renewable energy capabilities. new in developing countries by 2030.
However, the UAE’s participation is not limited to large-scale projects. For the past 15 years, it has been supporting small and medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations and schools, with vital funding through the Zayed Sustainability Prize.
Last year, the country partnered with the United States to launch the Agricultural Climate Innovation Initiative.
It is not enough to mention these initiatives alone, to clarify the true depth of climate action efforts in the UAE, and as it cooperates with Egypt and the international community, at the COP27 conference, it is already preparing for the COP28 conference in the UAE, hoping that it can align global ambition with action, and continue its role in building consensus Views toward greater progress in climate action.
