Facts
- In November 2021, the U.A.E. was announced as the chosen country to host the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2023, which is the nation’s “Year of Sustainability.” It’s the fourth country in MENA to host a COP after Qatar, Morocco, and Egypt.
- Coinciding with the U.A.E.’s National Day, COP28 will have the first Global Stocktake since the 2015 Paris Agreement adoption, aiming to take transformative action to align the world’s collective climate action efforts with a comprehensive assessment of progress.
- According to Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, COP28 President-Designate and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, the U.A.E. was the first country in MENA to announce a strategic initiative, titled U.A.E. Net Zero 2050, to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the first Middle Eastern country to sign the Paris Agreement. It will also establish a designated “Health/Relief, Recovery, and Peace” day and spotlight trade’s role in tandem with finance at the UN Climate Conference.
Figures
- Regarded as a ‘milestone moment for global climate action’, COP28 will host over 70,000 participants, including world leaders, private sector representatives, and NGOs.
- In the meantime, the UAE has been putting climate change at the forefront of its agendas. The country provides $1.5 billion worth of renewable aid to over 40 countries and has funded $50 billion in clean energy projects in 70 countries over the past years.
- In November 2022, the U.A.E. and the U.S. launched the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) to invest $100 billion to deploy 100 new gigawatts of clean energy by 2035.
Key issues
To address the climate crisis and put the world on the right track to achieve the Paris Agreement’s pillars, the COP28 Presidency has set out a two-week thematic programme to deliver on four key pillars:
- Fast-tracking energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030
- Focusing on adaptation to protect nature, lives, and livelihoods
- Mobilising for an inclusive COP
- Transforming climate finance
Key Facts About Nature & Climate
1.5° C
The target for limiting global warming to reduce the harmful effects of climate change.
1/3
The amount of emission reductions we could realize by protecting and restoring nature.
<10%
The amount of climate funding currently allocated to nature-based solutions.
