(Paris) – The United Arab Emirates welcomed French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to the UAE pavilion in celebration of UAE National Day on the sidelines of the 21st meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, France.
The country presented its achievements in technology and innovation that are helping to create new economic sectors and address the impacts of climate change.
“The UAE is advancing research and development to spur clean energy innovation and diversify our economy, in order to secure both a healthy and prosperous future for generations to come,” said Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Permanent Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Director of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We are embracing climate action as an opportunity to commercialize technological breakthroughs and forge new partnerships to extend our leadership on sustainability globally.”
During his visit, French Foreign Minister Fabius learned about how the UAE is transitioning to a knowledge-based economy and accelerating the deployment of clean energy through the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a world-class research centre, Masdar, the UAE’s renewable energy company, and other partners.
Examples include the deployment of Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant, the development of sustainable aviation biofuel, solar-powered cutting-edge seawater reverse osmosis desalination, and the near completion of the Middle East’s first commercial-scale project for carbon, capture, usage and storage. The UAE also just launched a new fund worth Dh2 billion to finance innovation.
“Our actions reflect our commitment to climate change and reinforce our ability to compete in the 21st century economy,” said Dr. Al Zeyoudi. “They also support our broader goal of achieving a 24 per cent clean energy mix by 2021.”
French Foreign Minister Fabius, president of COP21, praised the UAE’s leadership in renewable energy to advance sustainable solutions and address the adverse effects of climate change. He stressed the importance of the UAE and France working together and investing in renewable energy.
(Courtesy WAM)
