Thani Al Zeyoudi: The UAE is a pioneer in developing sustainable supply chains

September 27th

 

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, confirmed that the UAE played a pioneering role in developing sustainable supply chains, by focusing on its billions of dollars in investments in removing carbon from value chains.

 

He noted that the country has established its leading position on the clean energy agenda in the region, after the major transformation it has witnessed over the past ten years compared to other countries. In this regard, he pointed to the Barakah peaceful nuclear energy plants in Abu Dhabi, which contributed to reducing emissions by five million tons. of carbon dioxide annually.

 

This came during his participation in a session entitled “The Future of Sustainable Global Trade,” as part of the activities of the second day of “Climate Future Week” at the Museum of the Future, which continues until next Saturday, and is held in conjunction with the Year of Sustainability and the UAE’s preparations to host the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention. Framework on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai in late November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his speech, Thani Al-Zeyoudi highlighted the importance of trade in the continuation of the global economic movement, which plays a major role in promoting social and economic growth, providing fair job opportunities, as well as improving living standards and enhancing knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He pointed out the need to continue working to reduce environmental impact, and the importance of reporting on levels of progress in this field on an ongoing basis to ensure sustainability of supply chains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s activities of “Climate Future Week” at the “Museum of the Future”, which is organized in cooperation with the “Fikr” Foundation, included a session on the relationship of architecture to the circular economy, hosted by Arthur Huang, CEO and founder of “Mini Wiz”, who pointed out the role it plays. The UAE is developing architecture, through pioneering innovative recycling projects to transform waste management throughout daily life.

 

 

 

 

He highlighted a number of pioneering approaches to reducing and reusing materials, explaining during an interactive presentation how countries can achieve ambitious climate change goals by promoting the circular economy.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Aisha Abdullah Al Khouri, an Emirati researcher in materials engineering, said during the session “Converting Carbon Dioxide for a Green Future”: “Humanity is responsible for releasing 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year, which leads to climate change at an unprecedented pace.” …The energy, industry, agriculture and waste sectors are considered among the sectors that emit the largest amount of greenhouse gases, while there are a number of solutions that can be developed based on modern technology, such as carbon storage and the conversion and use of chemicals.”

 

 

 

 

In another session, author and researcher Andrew Hudson spoke about the topic of reshaping climate stories and science fiction. He said: “Climate change is part of our future and is linked to various fields such as artificial intelligence and geopolitics. Science and technology will play a major role in combating climate change, which is expected.” “It will remain the most important topic in the coming decades.”

 

 

 

 

Wael Al-Awar, an architect and co-founder of YY Studio in Dubai and Tokyo, spoke about environmentally friendly architectural designs and creative responsibility, and pointed out that “humanity needs to build a city the size of New York annually to meet the increasing population growth, but the most prominent question is how this can be done sustainably because Cement is responsible for 8% of global emissions, and is the second most consumed resource in the world after water, while the construction industry is responsible for 40% of resource consumption globally, and only 14% of these sources are renewable sources.”

 

 

 

 

He added: “One square meter of marshes can absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide as the rainforest, and countries around the world must protect this natural resource.”

 

 

 

 

Abdul Latif Al Banna, the Emirati entrepreneur, touched on agricultural flexibility in harsh climates, and pointed out that “innovative agriculture may contribute to maintaining and improving climate quality.” He pointed out that the Arab region enjoys a climate and soil suitable for agriculture, as many agricultural crops can be grown on Over a period of several months of the year, especially in the period from the beginning of November to the end of May, and with the reclamation of barren lands, it has become possible to grow animal fodder, barley, and other food crops.”

 

 

 

 

In a session titled “Harmony of Architecture with the Environment,” architects Takashige Yamashita and Yongah Kang spoke about innovative architectural practices, which provide sustainable practices for a better climate future. They talked about success stories in global projects that face today’s challenges in a sustainable manner and provided an analysis of architectural designs. The world that made a positive difference.

 

 

 

 

The day’s sessions concluded with a discussion session entitled “Climate Responsibility for the Creative Industries,” moderated by Brendan McGetrick, Amani Al-Aidaroos from the Museum of the Future, author and researcher Andrew D. Hudson, and Emirati artist and poet Shamma Al Bastaki.

 

 

 

 

Session participants discussed how creative people can contribute positively to sustainability discussions, and the role of media in influencing long-term environmental conservation.

 

 

 

 

Next Saturday will witness a special dialogue session hosting Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, President-designate of the Conference of the Parties (COP28), to shed light on the latest preparations for hosting the twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change late next November in the city of Dubai.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, UN Climate Leader for the Conference of the Parties (COP28) and President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, will also participate in this session, and it will be moderated by Dubai Sphinx.