Dubai: The UAE Council for Climate Change and Environment is implementing its national environmental plan with immediate effect, according to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said the new national “environmental plan includes the preparation and implementation of a national strategy to facilitate better adaptation to climate change, a low-carbon development programme in collaboration with the private sector, and various measures related to the UAE Green Agenda”.
The plan is in step with the UAE’s global promise to reduce fossil fuel-based electricity production over time, starting with a 27 per cent renewable energy mix by 2021.
The ambitious green energy target will slash domestic greenhouse gases, a goal the UAE ratified as part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement in order to help hold global temperature increases to well below 2 degree Celsius in the century ahead.
The latest meeting of the council, meanwhile, presided by Dr Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, reviewed the action plan and the implementation mechanisms of each of its focus areas for the next four years — climate change, green development, green financing, coordination of municipal affairs, environmental coordination, partnership with private sector, capacity building, awareness, education, and international relations. “The agenda of the UAE Council for Climate Change and Environment stems from the UAE leadership’s vision to adopt best international practices to promote sustainable lifestyle in the country,” said Al Zeyoudi.
“We have discussed the mechanisms for implementing the council’s national environmental plan for the next four years to contribute to the UAE’s relentless efforts to identify solutions to pressing current and future environmental challenges. Cooperation with the private sector is essential to instill a culture of sustainability among the country’s citizens and residents, and to preserve our environment for future generations,” Al Zeyoudi said.
In addition, the council discussed the biodiversity strategy of the UAE National Climate Change Plan, the UAE Green Agenda, the National Environmental Awareness and Education Strategy, as well as community and local agriculture priorities. Various programmes and initiatives for 2017 in support of the UAE Green Growth Strategy were also on the agenda.
The council also discussed the outcomes of the national plan adopted at the first meeting, the most important of which is to reduce and adapt to the impacts of climate change by setting clear targets for reducing harmful emissions and carbon footprint.
