United Arab Emirates to host COP28
The Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention has finally announced which nation will host the COP 28 Climate Conference in 2023, and its host will be the United Arab Emirates, specifically the city of Dubai, after a very tough election process that has lasted two weeks, in which more than 200 countries have participated in order to host the event. The conference will bring together the world's most important leaders for the protection of our world.
The announcement of the news was made by several important officials within the territory. One of them was by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and ruler of the country himself, Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who used his social media to inform of the country's selection. "UAE is honoured to have been selected as the host country for COP28 in 202," bin Zayed wrote via Twitter. Another messenger of the news was the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who also used the bluebird social network to make the news known. "We will put all our capabilities to make the conference a success. The UAE will remain committed to fighting climate change to protect the planet," he announced on Twitter. Minister of Climate Action and Environment Mariam bin Mohammed Almeheiri also weighed in, tweeting that "hosting this global meeting will provide us with an excellent opportunity to engage our most dynamic segment of society, our youth, in the meetings and negotiations that will ultimately ensure a sustainable future for the next generations".
The choice of the UAE comes as no surprise because the country is very committed to the environmental struggle. It was the first of the Gulf Arab countries to take an interest in environmentalism. Its main strategic initiative is to become a fully environmentally sustainable country by 2050. The nation has great experience in imposing initiatives against the impact of global warming and the use of clean and renewable energies, using the latest technologies for the development of the economy and the improvement of citizens' lives. "COP28 will see the first global assessment of how countries are progressing in implementing their contribution under the Paris Agreement and will allow us to launch a comprehensive proactive approach that takes into account the needs and circumstances of various developed and developing countries while uniting the efforts of the international community," said Sultan Al-Jaber.
The UAE is known for its strong commitment to tackling harmful emissions. Over the past few years, one of its targets has been to reduce global methane emissions by 30 per cent by early 2030 and it has managed to reduce natural gas flaring levels by more than 90 per cent. As an oil-producing country, it is one of the lowest emission intensities in the world at 0.01%. In addition, it is investing $17 billion in solar and wind energy. It has also set itself the challenge of planting 100 million trees by the next decade. It is worth noting that the country has been building Masdar City for more than 10 years, a city based on the use of renewable energies as a base, and which will generate 70,000 jobs.
The conference will, for the second time, be held in a Middle Eastern country, as Egypt will host the next edition in 2022. The Emirates will also be the third country to be a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after hosting the conference in Qatar in 2012 and Indonesia in 2007. Egypt's choice coincides with that of the Emirates, and the city chosen in the country of the pyramids will be Sharm el Sheikh, close to the shores of the Red Sea. The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fuad, expressed her gratitude, stressing the trust and support of African countries for their offer. She called for "uniting the world's efforts to face the challenge of climate change, whose effects differentiate us among countries, and which requires active, dynamic and cooperative multi-stakeholder action".
