UAE to set out vision for UN climate summit

UAE to set out vision for UN climate summit

The United Arab Emirates, host of the upcoming UN climate summit, is expected to outline its agenda for COP28 at a ministerial meeting in Brussels this week after a conservative update of its own emissions targets.

The petrostate pledged to cut absolute emissions by 19 per cent from 2019 levels in the third update to its commitment under the Paris agreement to limit global warming.

The UAE had already flagged during COP27 in Egypt last November that a new target for an emissions cut of 18 per cent by 2030 would be included in its next UN submission this year.

COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, also the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, is expected to set out his priorities at the meeting this week attended by ministers and high-level representatives from more than 30 countries, including the G20.

The annual Ministerial on Climate Action is a forum for discussions on implementing the Paris agreement to limit global warming and the adoption of technical rules under the UN framework.

In recent speeches, Al Jaber has highlighted the need for a tripling of renewable energy capacity, increased energy efficiency and further hydrogen production, as well as cuts in methane emissions by 2030. But he