Abu Dhabi: The UAE, joined by Sweden, Denmark and China, will set up a network of eco-friendly cities by the end of this year to tap into each other’s experiences in their long-term urban sustainability, a senior official said Thursday.

“The UAE, Sweden, Denmark and China will shortly launch a robust, delivery-oriented network of sustainable cities to tap into the experience of each other,” said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, and Chief Executive of Masdar, at the end of the second Clean Energy Ministerial held in Abu Dhabi.

Stressing that the network is open for other countries to join, Dr. Al Jaber told a news conference the four countries will make the charter of the network by the end of this year or before the next Clean Energy Ministerial, scheduled for April next year in London.

Energy ministers and high-level representatives from more than 20 governments yesterday renewed support for 11 international clean energy initiatives to accelerate the global transition to a clean energy future, thus eliminating the need to build 500 mid-size power plants worldwide in the next 20 years.

US Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, said in just nine months since the United States hosted the first Clean Energy Ministerial, “we have laid the groundwork for global progress in areas such as appliance efficiency, smart grids and electric vehicle deployment”.

“Working together, we can move faster to save money, create jobs and accelerate the transition to a clean energy future,” Chu said.

The countries participating in the CEM account for 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and more than 70 per cent of global gross domestic product. They also fund the vast majority of public research and development in clean energy technologies.

The UAE has placed renewable energy and climate change high on its agenda, demonstrated through a variety of actions, including the inception of the Masdar initiative, the Abu Dhabi green building code (Estidama), the World Future Energy Summit and the Zayed Future Energy Prize.

The CEM includes 11 initiatives, which are based on areas of common interest among participants, and which are focussed on three goals: improving energy efficiency worldwide, enhancing clean energy supply and expanding clean energy access.
Governments participating in the CEM initiatives include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the USA.