The United Nations and the International Energy Forum commended the United Arab Emirates on its pledge to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050…reports Asian Lite News
The UAE announced that the country had adopted the goal to achieve climate neutrality by mid-century. The announcement was made during the Expo2020 ahead of the COP26 climate change conference due to be held in the UK next month.
“The IEF commends the leadership of the UAE for this ambitious goal, the first such announcement by a Gulf oil exporting nation,” said Joseph McMonigle, Secretary General, IEF.
The announcement brings the UAE into line with several other nations that have pledged to become net-zero by mid-century, including the European Union, South Korea, Canada, and Chile.
Net-zero carbon means the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere is stable or falling. An economy can retain a small amount of fossil fuel use while contributing no CO2 overall, if it balances emissions by removing CO2 through initiatives such as carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration – part of every feasible pathway to 1.5 C assessed by the IPCC – and through tree planting.
“This highlights that there are multiple pathways that individual countries can take to reach their climate goal,” McMonigle said.
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Meanwhile, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has welcomed the UAE’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
In a statement he made on Thursday, Dujarric said: “We warmly welcome this very important announcement by the UAE.”
He urged other countries to emulate the Emirati example in the future, “specially ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.”