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UAE announces offer to host COP 28

The UAE has established itself as a natural host for high-level large format international events focused on climate action and sustainable development…reports Asian Lite News

The United Arab Emirates today announced an offer to host the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Abu Dhabi in 2023, with a focus on the economic case for inclusive climate action.

Commenting on the UAE’s offer to host COP 28, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said, “The climate challenge is daunting, but it is also matched by enormous opportunity to drive economic growth and job creation. As a country that sits at the heart of the hydrocarbon industry and has made significant investments in energy diversification domestically and around the globe, we have seen first-hand that there is now an unprecedented business case for the highest level of climate ambition – especially when it advances gender equality and empowers youth.”

“COP 28 will represent a pivotal moment to capitalise on this opportunity, and our vision is to work with all countries to realise their net economic benefits from accelerated action.”

As the permanent host country for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the first country in the region to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement and the first in the region to commit to an economy-wide reduction in emissions as part of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the UAE has demonstrated a proven track record in progressive climate action and multilateral cooperation that makes it an ideal convener for COP 28.

The UAE has established itself as a natural host for high-level large format international events focused on climate action and sustainable development. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is the world’s largest annual sustainability event, with over 45,000 delegates from 170 countries, and the UAE has hosted both preparatory meetings for United Nations’ climate summits in 2014 and 2019.

ALSO READ: Stranded Kerala nurses in UAE get job offers

Also, the upcoming Dubai Expo – focused on the Sustainable Development Goals and including 192 national pavilions – will welcome tens of millions of visitors starting in October.

The UAE’s investments in domestic renewable energy – including many of the world’s largest solar projects – over the last 15 years have yielded the world’s lowest solar costs. The UAE’s investments internationally have also contributed to renewable energy’s dramatic cost reductions over the last decade, reshaping global energy markets.

UAE economy on track towards recovery in 2021

The UAE has invested around $17 billion in commercial renewable energy projects on six continents and provided over $1 billion of grants and soft loans for renewable energy power plants, including through the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund and UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund.

In addition, the UAE has pioneered carbon capture and storage to decarbonise heavy industry, led initiatives in climate-smart agriculture and prioritised biodiversity conservation.

“As COP 28 host, the UAE would leverage its experience as a regional and global convener to mobilise all actors in achieving the Paris Agreement and reinforcing the compelling investment case for raising ambitions,” Sheikh Abdullah added. “Climate impacts are already being acutely felt, but our experience gives us optimism that we can meet global climate goals while creating social and economic opportunities – with contributions coming from all corners of the globe.”

ALSO READ: Stranded Kerala nurses in UAE get job offers

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-Top News Environment EU News

EC vows to develop sustainable maritime economy


The Green Deal is the EU’s lead program to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, reports Xinhua news agency…reports Asian Lite News.

The European Commission has pledged to develop a sustainable maritime economy in a bid to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

“We add the blue dimension to the European Green Deal,” said European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius, who is in charge of Environment, Oceans and Fisheries at the Commission, said on Monday.

The Green Deal is the EU’s lead program to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, reports Xinhua news agency.

By blue economy, the Commission refers to all sectors working with or in close proximity to seas and oceans, including fisheries, aquaculture, coastal tourism, maritime transport, port activities and shipbuilding.

It provides employment to 4.5 million people in the EU, with a turnover of more than 650 billion euros ($789 billion).

“Pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction, coupled with the effects of the climate crisis, all threaten the rich marine biodiversity that the blue economy depends on,” said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-president of the European Commission for the Green Deal.

Carbon emission(Pixabay)


The goals are to reach climate neutrality, to switch to a circular economy, to preserve biodiversity, to ensure sustainable food production and to improve the management of maritime space, according to a press release from the EU Commission.

The transition to sustainability for the blue economy will be funded by relevant EU funds and private capital will also be mobilized, according to Sinkevicius.

ALSO READ-Portugal to allow EU and UK tourists

READ MORE-Violence against LGBTI people increased during Covid: EU

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India, US join hands on climate

Modi said that India was doing its part to fight climate change. “Our ambitious renewable energy target of 450 gigawatts by 2030 shows our commitment…reports Arul Louis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced a global initiative in cooperation with the US to mobilise investments for the greening of the world and promote collaboration to fight global warming.

“Humanity is battling a global pandemic right now and this event is a timely reminder that the grave threat of climate change has not disappeared,” he said at the Leaders Summit on Climate Change convened by President Joe Biden.

“President Biden and I are launching the India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership. Together we will help mobilise investments, demonstrate clean technology and enable green collaboration.”

US President Joe Biden

Leaders of 40 countries are participating in the summit. They include Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, with whom Biden has an increasingly hostile relationship, but they have put aside their difference in the climate cause.

Biden said: “The signs are unmistakable (of climate change dangers). The science is undeniable. The cost of inaction keeps mounting. The United States isn’t waiting. We are resolving to take action.”

Biden said that the US would cut its greenhouse emissions from the 2005 level by half by 2030.

Also read:‘Climate change is an existential risk’

He announced the first US Climate Finance Plan to promote public sector “to increase the quality and quantity of climate financing” and spur the private sector to contribute to developing countries’ programmes.

He said that the global goal was mobilising $100 billion per year for developing countries to meet the climate challenge.

To help meet this goal, he said that the US will double by 2024 “our annual public climate development finance to developing countries compared to what we were providing during the second half of Obama-Biden administration”.

The US will also “triple our financing for climate application for developing countries by 2024”.

Calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, he said he said that it was important to “help developing countries leapfrog to the clean technologies of tomorrow”.

In a subtle dig at the hypocrisy of Western leaders, media and activists who paint India as the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter and demand it cut down emissions, Modi pointed out that each Indian’s greenhouse gas footprint is 60 per cent lower than the world average.

Carbon emission(Pixabay)

“It is because of our lifestyle is still rooted in sustainable, traditional practices,” he said.

“Today I want to emphasise the importance of lifestyle change in climate action, sustainable lifestyle changes and guiding philosophy of back to basics,” he added.

Modi said that India was doing its part to fight climate change. “Our ambitious renewable energy target of 450 gigawatts by 2030 shows our commitment. Despite our development challenges we have taken many bold steps on clean energy, energy efficiency, afforestation and biodiversity.”

Also read:UAE, US commit to jointly tackle climate challenge

“That is why we are among the few countries whose NDCs (nationally determined contributions to the Paris Climate Agreement goals) are 2 degrees Celsius compatible,” Modi said.

“Climate change is a lived reality for millions around the world. Their lives, their livelihoods are already facing its adverse consequences,” he said.

India has encouraged global initiatives like the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Modi added.

“As climate resposnsible developing country, India welcomes partners to create templates of sustainable development in India. This can also help other development countries who need affordable acess to green finance and clean technology,” he said.

Modi was the second non-US leader to speak after Xi at the virtual conference.

Xi said that China was making extraordinary efforts like ending coal power generation in order to reach its cimate change goals.

Also read:Biden to halve carbon emissions by 2030

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Biden to halve carbon emissions by 2030

US President Joe Biden

Biden called on global leaders to step up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or risk a disastrous collective failure to stop catastrophic climate change…reports Asian Lite News

Laying out his vision for a greener economy, US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that the United States would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 as part of the country’s efforts to combat climate change.

He also urged world leaders to significantly accelerate their own plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or risk a disastrous collective failure to stop catastrophic climate change.

According to CNN, in an address opening ‘Leaders Summit on Climate’, Biden laid out his vision for a greener economy in which climate change is taken seriously across all sectors and results in more jobs for the blue-collar workers he has focused on throughout his career.

Biden thanked world leaders for taking part in the summit stating that “your leadership on this issue is a statement to every nation especially our young people who were ready to meeting this moment.”

“Meeting this moment is about more than preserving this planet. It is also about providing a better future for all of us. That’s why, when we talk about climate, I think about jobs,” he said.

During his speech, Biden focused on the job creation aspect of addressing the climate crisis, suggesting he sees “an opportunity to create millions of good-paying middle-class union jobs.”

Also read:‘Climate change is an existential risk’

“When I talk about climate, I think jobs. Within our climate response lies an extraordinary job creation and economic opportunity ready to be fired up,” Biden said, going on to urge investment in infrastructure.”I want to build critical infrastructure to produce and deploy clean technology, both those we can harness today and those we will invent tomorrow,” he said.

“The United States sets out on the road to cut our greenhouse gases in half– and half by the end of this decade. That’s where we’re headed as a nation, and that’s what we can do if we take action to build an economy that’s not only more prosperous but healthier, fairer and cleaner for the entire planet,” Biden said.

“These steps will set America’s economy to net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. But the truth is America represents less than 15 per cent of the emissions. No nations can solve this crisis on their own,” he added.

Also read:EU reaches deal on first climate law

Biden also used his remarks to warn about the impacts of not acting on climate change. “The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. But the cost of inaction keeps mounting… The United States is not waiting, we are resolving to take action,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris made brief introductory remarks ahead of Biden, outlining how the leaders present share the common concern of climate change.

Kamala Devi Harris

“As a global community, it is imperative that we act quickly and together,” she said, calling for innovation and collaboration “around the world.”

CNN further reported that former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore praised the Biden administration’s pledge on cutting US carbon emissions on Thursday, calling it “a ground-breaking step” and saying, “we have no more time to waste.”

Gore noted that significant cuts are needed in this decade if we are to limit the global temperature rise and avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

“This ambitious goal is one that we must reach. I know that with the Biden Administration’s whole-of-government approach, paired with investments in green jobs and infrastructure under consideration in Congress, we can,” Gore said, as quoted by CNN.

Also read:Putin to speak at Biden’s climate summit

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-Top News USA

‘Climate change is an existential risk’

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen

“The Biden administration adapted a whole-of-government approach to aggressively tackle climate change, said US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen…reports Asian Lite News

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that her Department will take a “whole-of-economy” approach to tackle the “existential risk” of climate change.

“The Biden administration is taking a whole-of-government approach to aggressively tackle climate change. My goal, at Treasury, is to support this work with a whole-of-economy approach,” Yellen said in remarks to the Institute of International Finance on Wednesday.

“Specifically, we are committed to directing public investment to areas that can facilitate our transition to net-zero and strengthen the functioning of our financial system so that workers, investors, and businesses can seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents,” she said.

President Joe Biden at Pentagon.(photoInstagram)

Noting that climate change is an “existential risk” to the future economy and way of life, Yellen said that massive investments are needed over the next 10 years to facilitate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions.

“One estimate placed the needed incremental investments at over $2.5 trillion for the US alone. Private capital will need to fill most of that gap,” she said.

“We also recognise the financial sector has an opportunity to play an important role in financing and leading the transition of the global economy to a net-zero economy,” added the Treasury Secretary.

Yellen’s remarks came after the Treasury Department announced on Monday that it was creating a new “Climate Hub” in the department to help coordinate economic policies that address climate change.

“With a view of all Treasury climate initiatives, the Hub will enable Treasury to move nimbly and efficiently in prioritizing climate action,” the Department said.

Also read:EU reaches deal on first climate law

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-Top News EU News Europe

EU reaches deal on first climate law

The deal came on the eve of a US-initiated virtual summit on climate change scheduled for Thursday and Friday…reports Asian Lite News

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU) reached a provisional agreement on the first-ever EU climate law, which “enshrines the EU’s commitment to reaching climate neutrality by 2050”.

The deal came on the eve of a US-initiated virtual summit on climate change scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The EU climate law increases the bloc’s 2030 net greenhouse gas emissions reduction target from 40 per cent to at least 55 per cent. The European Parliament had wanted to make the cut more ambitious, proposing to cut emissions by 60 per cent in the next decade.

According to a statement by Portuguese Minister of Environment Joao Pedro Matos Fernandes, who chaired the negotiations in the last hours, “this agreement sends a strong message to the world” ahead of the US-initiated climate summit, and “paves the way for the Commission to move forward, in June, with the climate package proposal”.

“The European climate law is ‘the law of laws’ that sets the frame for the EU’s climate-related legislation for the 30 years to come,” added Fernandes, whose country holds the rotating Council presidency.

Also read:Migrants once again queue up to head home

The climate law is a key milestone for the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, delivering on one of the commitments she announced in her political guidelines in July 2019, said a Commission press release on Wednesday.

Welcoming the deal, von der Leyen said: “Our political commitment to becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is now also a legal commitment. The Climate Law sets the EU on a green path for a generation. It is our binding pledge to our children and grandchildren.”

If adopted globally, the net-zero by 2050 pathway would limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Another element of the provisional agreement includes the establishment of a European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, composed of 15 senior scientific experts of different nationalities.

This independent board will be tasked, among other things, with providing scientific advice and reporting on EU measures, climate targets and indicative greenhouse gas budgets and their coherence with the European climate law and the EU’s international commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The provisional agreement is subject to approval by the Council and the European Parliament, before going through the formal steps of the adoption procedure.

Also read:Layoffs in EU reach record high

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-Top News USA

Putin to speak at Biden’s climate summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin

US President Joe Biden has invited Putin among other world leaders to the event scheduled for Thursday and Friday…reports Asian Lite News

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech at a US-initiated summit on climate change via video link on Thursday, the Kremlin said.

“Putin will outline Russia’s approaches to establishing broad international cooperation aimed at overcoming the negative consequences of global climate change,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Monday.

US President Joe Biden has invited Putin among other world leaders to the event scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

US President Joe Biden

The summit comes at a critical juncture, with the latest UNFCCC report stating that the collective climate action pledges according to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are far off track from the goals envisaged in the Paris Agreement, most notably to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

There are also increasing calls to developed countries to step up financial support for climate action in developing countries, in particular for adaptation.

Also read:India needs to re-bond with Russia and Iran

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UAE, US commit to jointly tackle climate challenge

UAE and US have announced cooperation to make investments in financing decarbonisation across Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and beyond, reports Asian Lite News

The United Arab Emirates and the United States have announced their joint commitment to tackle the climate challenge stressing the importance and urgency of raising global climate ambition.

Both countries announced their intent to cooperate on new investments in financing decarbonisation across the MENA region and beyond, and to focus on assisting the most vulnerable adapt to the effects of climate change.

“Together with the U.S., the UAE has affirmed that decisive, proactive climate action can be an engine for economic growth and sustainable development,” said Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the UAE’s Special Envoy for Climate Change.

“Building on the legacy and experience of the UAE, which has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to sustainable development and today operates three of the world’s largest solar facilities, we will focus, together with the U.S., on joint efforts on renewable energy, hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation, carbon capture and storage, nature-based solutions, and low-carbon urban design.”

He said that UAE is rich in opportunities with the world’s lowest solar power costs, and significant carbon capture investments. “We look forward to sharing our experience with the international community to turn climate action into economic opportunity,” he added.

Noting the progress made by many leading companies, both countries also agreed to work closely with the private sector to mobilise the necessary investment and technology resources needed to stem the climate crisis and support the economy.

Also read:US climate envoy Kerry to visit India

They also confirmed the intent to work towards decarbonising their economies according to their national circumstances and economic development plans, including reducing carbon emissions by 2030.

Both countries have stressed their commitment to the implementation of the Paris Agreement and promote the success of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.

The UAE Regional Dialogue for Climate Action was held on April 4 that convened climate leaders from across the MENA region and unveiled a new era of cooperation in the region for a future focused on prosperity through climate policy, investment, innovation, and sustainable economic growth.

The Dialogue drew the participation of high-level dignitaries from across the region as well as critical global partners and organisations.

Participants included COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma, US Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry, together with Ministers and high level representatives from the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, Sudan and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The event further reinforced the UAE’s regional climate leadership, providing a common ground for participating nations to build a shared vision for climate action ahead of COP26.

Also read:Yellen slams Trump on climate responses

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Yellen slams Trump on climate responses

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen

“We are seeking to increase the scale of climate finance and use these tools to leverage additional private investment,” said Yellen…reports Asian Lite News

The US is seeking to increase the scale of climate finance and working with the international community to tackle climate change, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday.

“Climate, by its very nature, requires strong global cooperation. We lost four important years, and we recognize that many of you around the room have been leading change in your own countries,” Yellen said at her first meeting with the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, adding that the US was pleased to join the coalition last week, the Xinhua news agency reported.

“Finance ministries have a vital role to play, and there is much that we can learn from each other about how to integrate climate into our financial planning and decision-making,” she said.

Yellen said that the US Treasury is working through the US Financial Stability Oversight Council and participating in international forums to understand and mitigate the risks that climate change poses to the stability of the financial system and macroeconomy in the US and across jurisdictions.

Former US President Donald Trump(IANS)

“We are also supporting international efforts to better identify climate-aligned investments and encourage financial institutions to credibly align their portfolios and strategies with the objectives of the Paris Agreement,” she said.

Also read:Biden’s boost for infra, jobs

Meanwhile, the US Treasury is working with the White House, Congress and others to ensure that domestic economic programs and tax policies support US climate goals, including building climate-resilient infrastructure and facilitating a transition to a decarbonised economy, according to Yellen.

“We are seeking to increase the scale of climate finance and use these tools to leverage additional private investment,” she said.

Yellen also said that she is pleased to co-chair the Group of 20’s newly re-established sustainable finance group, which provides an important venue to tackle these issues and promote finance that supports international climate and other sustainability goals.

“Financial market participants that do not put in place frameworks to assess and address climate-related risks could face significant losses on climate-sensitive assets caused by environmental shifts, by a disorderly transition, or both,” Fed governor Lael Brainard said last month.

Also read:Suga to be 1st foreign leader to meet Biden

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Environment Lite Blogs

Fake news: a barrier for climate fight

Social media and access to reliable knowledge is also highlighted as a barrier to progress…reports Asian Lite News.

While technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help the world deal with dangerous climate and environmental change, fake news on social media about global warming and biodiversity loss has emerged as a barrier in the climate change mitigation efforts, a group of scientists has warned.

Indian Student activists carry posters and shout slogans as they participate in a protest march against climate change, in New Delhi on India. (Pallav Paliwal)

The report, published in Ambio, a journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, concludes that inequality and environmental challenges are deeply linked. Reducing inequality will increase trust within societies.

Trust is essential for governments to make long-term decisions, the report argues.

Social media and access to reliable knowledge is also highlighted as a barrier to progress.

“As the pressure of human activities accelerates on Earth, so too does the hope that technologies such as artificial intelligence will be able to help us deal with dangerous climate and environmental change,” said Co-author Victor Galaz, Deputy Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

“That will only happen however, if we act forcefully in ways that redirects the direction of technological change towards planetary stewardship and responsible innovation.”

Human actions are threatening the resilience and stability of Earth’s biosphere — the wafer-thin veil around Earth where life thrives, according to the report published for the first Nobel Prize Summit, a digital gathering to be held in April to discuss the state of the planet in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Indian Student activists carry posters and shout slogans as they participate in a protest march against climate change, in New Delhi on India, 19 March, 2021

“In a single human lifetime, largely since the 1950s, we have grossly simplified the biosphere, a system that has evolved over 3.8 billion years. Now just a few plants and animals dominate the land and oceans,” said lead author Carl Folke, Director of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics and Chair of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.

“Our actions are making the biosphere more fragile, less resilient and more prone to shocks than before.”

Also Read-China, US join hands on climate change

Read More-UN Calls For Nations To Step Up Climate Actions