UAE, US Launch Initiative to Boost Investment in Climate-smart Agriculture

UAE, US Launch Initiative to Boost Investment in Climate-smart Agriculture

The United States and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday used COP26 climate talks to launch efforts to channel funding into making agriculture resilient to climate change, as well as to cut its emissions.

The farming industry, a major part of the US economy, is already battling the effects of climate change, including unpredictable weather and increased drought and flooding.

The United Arab Emirates, which has offered to host climate talks in 2023, has grown rich from its oil revenues, but has also developed technology to improve food yields from its largely desert territory.

The two countries launched the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) at the UN talks under way in Glasgow, Scotland, that are seen as critical to averting the most disastrous impacts of climate change.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change, said: “AIM for Climate is focusing on a sector that has been previously overlooked in terms of the opportunities it offers for global climate action.”

“This initiative demonstrates the UAE’s holistic and inclusive approach to climate action, which characterizes our offer to host COP28,” he added.

Jaber stated that the UAE "has already driven change in the energy