DUBAI — Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, will participate in the two-day virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, hosted by US President Joe Biden, beginning on Thursday (April 22), the UAE's state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.

During his speech at the summit, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid will talk about the UAE's vision and ambitions in terms of climate action in the presence of 40 world leaders who are playing a proactive role in combatting climate change to ensure a brighter tomorrow for generations to come.

The UAE continues to strengthen its position as a key player in climate action by developing innovative plans to establish a low-carbon economy. Last December, the UAE became a trailblazer in the region when it submitted its second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The second NDC underscores the UAE's unwavering commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 23.5 percent compared to business-as-usual emissions for the year 2030, which translates into an absolute emissions reduction of around 70 million tonnes.

The UAE's efforts to reduce emissions include boosting reliance on clean energy, expanding its carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) capacity, conserving blue carbon ecosystems, promoting sustainable agriculture, and utilizing environment-friendly waste management systems.

The UAE is a regional pioneer in adopting effective public policies, including the policies on economic diversification focusing on transforming into a green economy, diversifying energy sources through enhancing its renewable energy production capacity, and enhancing sustainable urban planning and efficiency across the energy and transportation sectors.

The UAE is also at the forefront regionally in terms of developing climate change policies since the signing of the Paris Agreement, where it initially committed to increasing the share of clean power to 24 percent of the total energy mix by 2021, raising the target soon after that to 50 percent by 2050.

With the US seeking to strengthen global partnerships towards mitigating the climate change fallout, the UAE continues to be a key partner in this field through its efforts to reduce emissions, develop innovative solutions and provide financing, in addition to boosting its capacity in responding to climate change.

Earlier this month, the UAE strengthened its role as a climate action leader by hosting the Regional Dialogue for Climate Action, with the participation of 10 major economies from the MENA region, along with John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and COP26 President Alok Sharma. The event focused on enhancing climate action efforts in preparation for COP26, to be held in Glasgow next November.

Aimed at delivering tangible results towards controlling the climate crisis, the Leaders Summit on Climate will be a key milestone on the road to COP26. — SG