A high level delegation led by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), is attending the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22), in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 7-18 November 2016.
The UAE delegation aims to enhance cooperation with the international community, to find solutions to climate change, in adherence with the international agreement made at COP21 in Paris last year. The UAE delegation is composed of HE Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Waleed Salman, Chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (Dubai Carbon), Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, Khawla Al Mehairi, VP of Marketing and Corporate Communications at DEWA, and Mohammed Abdulkarim Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of the UAE Water Aid Foundation.
Al Tayer noted that the UAE’s participation in COP22 adheres to the vision of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance sustainable development and support international efforts, following the agreement made during COP21. This included keeping the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels, and to limit it to 1.5 C.
“Our participation in COP22, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakesh, has a special importance. We will show the UAE’s support for the international community’s efforts to enhance sustainability and green economy, while limiting the increasing effects of climate change. Dubai has a comprehensive vision for a sustainable future which is pivotal to the success of building a green economy. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has participated in a number of international events. The UAE delegation played a vital role in the negotiations that led to the Paris Agreement in 2015, and the Dubai Declaration 2016. Through COP22, we are continuing our efforts to highlight our means of dealing with climate change, through leading clean and renewable energy projects and initiatives,” said Al Tayer.
“DEWA has become a role model in the UAE, and in the eyes of the international community, as a result of its excellence in efficiency, corporate performance, and initiatives that contribute towards achieving the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to provide 7% of Dubai’s energy from clean sources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050, and the Demand Side Management Strategy, to decrease energy and water demand by 30% by 2030. Dubai is the only city in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to launch such a promising strategy, with specific targets and deadlines that outline the future of energy up to 2050. Through the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021 to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021, Dubai strives to become the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world. One of the major projects that we will highlight during COP22, is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity to produce 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. It will help achieve a reduction of approximately 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually,” added Al Tayer.
“DEWA has launched a number of initiatives to support the Smart Dubai initiative, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and the happiest city in the world. This includes the Shams Dubai initiative, which encourages building owners to install photovoltaic panels on their rooftops to generate electricity form solar power. The electricity is used onsite and the surplus is exported to DEWA’s network. The Green Charger to establish the infrastructure and build electric vehicle charging stations in Dubai. As part of Dubai’s efforts to support the international community, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched during the World Green Economy Summit (WGES) 2016, as well as the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO), with the support of the Government of Dubai, and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The organisation will also serve as a platform for climate change mitigation solutions, sustainable energy, and other water-related and environmental resources around the world,” continued Al Tayer.
“We will continue our efforts to enhance sustainable development in the UAE and the world, to find the best solutions to energy uses, to sustain our resources, and manage the increasing demand for energy,” concluded Al Tayer.
The UAE was one of the first countries in the international community to support tackling the growing issue of climate change. The UAE is also one of the first nations to have endorsed the extension of the Kyoto protocol in 2005, to limit greenhouse gases in industrial countries, in addition to being the first country in the region to sign the Copenhagen Accord to limit emissions, at COP15.
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