Sharjah 24 – WAM: The UAE is reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development in global post-COVID economic recovery according to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE’s special envoy for Climate Change and Chairman of Masdar.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), which was held virtually, Dr. Al Jaber said the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for humanity and it reinforced the importance of sustainability in its broadest sense.

He pointed out that while the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are two very different challenges, they have three factors in common: they are both global, they respect no borders and they require a united response.

As with COVID-19, the UAE has been a leader in its global approach to climate change and has reached across borders and united with others to make a difference according to Dr. Al Jaber.

This NDC makes us the first country in the region to commit to an economy-wide reduction in emissions. With a goal of a 23.5 percent emission reduction by 2030 from a 2016 baseline, it represents a real and practical contribution that we will build on. Importantly as an emerging, growing economy, it aligns our stage of development with the needs of global development."

Dr. Al Jaber stressed that pro-growth policies based on a diversified energy mix are essential for sustainable post-COVID economic recovery. To power this growth and ensure continued global progress, oil and gas will need to remain part of this energy mix for many years to come and we must make the oil and gas as low carbon as possible, according to Dr. Al Jaber.

The UAE is investing in technologies to further reduce the carbon footprint of the energy it produces and a prime example is its investment four years ago in the first industrial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in the region.

He added that he sees great opportunity in Hydrogen and it could take a significant amount of carbon out of the energy system. "With our existing infrastructure and large CCUS capabilities we believe we can be one of the lowest cost and largest producers of blue hydrogen in the world."

ADSW is a global platform for accelerating the world’s sustainable development. It brings together a unique fusion of world leaders, policymakers, industry specialists, technology pioneers, and the next generation of sustainability leaders.