UAE: Climate change moving faster than we are, says expert

UAE: Climate change moving faster than we are, says expert

To remain on target, emissions must be halved by 2030, which means the world has only seven years to get the job done

Photo: Museum of the Future/X

Published: Tue 26 Sep 2023, 7:22 PM

Climate change is moving faster than “we are”, a regional expert has warned. Laila Mustafa Abdul Latif, director-general at Emirates Nature – WWF, said during a recent trip to Greenland, she was astonished to hear large chunks breaking away from ice sheets and crashing into the oceans close to the poles.

“Crossing the 1.5-degree threshold can unleash far more severe climate change impact. We have seven years left to prevent irreversible climate change,” she said while addressing the Climate Future Week (CFW) that kicked off in Dubai on Tuesday.

At COP21 in 2015, the world agreed to limit global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels by 2050. To remain on target, emissions must be halved by 2030, which means the world has only seven years to get the job done. COP28, which will take place in UAE this year, is an opportunity for the world to rethink, reboot, and refocus the climate agenda.

During another session at the CFW, Najib Saab, secretary-general of the Arab Forum for Environment & Development