Bloomberg: Sultan Al Jaber is the ally the climate movement needs
The selection of Dr. Sultan Al Jaber as President-designate of COP28 is a historic step at a very important stage, given the negative impacts of climate change on the world.
On January 12, under the guidance of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidency Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a decision designating Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE’s special envoy for climate change, as president-designate of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
The choice has won many regional and international acclaim, as the UAE sticks to the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Amidst the positive reactions to Sultan Al Jaber’s selection for this position, his pioneering role in climate action, and support for efforts to transition to clean energy, came a global certificate from Bloomberg Economic, one of the most impartial and sober international voices in its reports.
In an article published today (Friday), the US agency said that Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of the COP28, is “the ally that the climate movement needs.”
The praise of the International Agency did not come out of nowhere. Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber has an asset and history that enables him to meet the requirements of the position, especially during this critical period for climate.
Sultan Al Jaber was twice appointed Special Envoy of the UAE for Climate Change (2010-2016 and 2020-present), and has participated in more than 10 previous Conferences of the Parties to the Climate Agreement, including the historic COP21 conference held in Paris in 2015. These are important experiences that enable him to read the scene more generally and provide an important view of climate and its issues.
Sultan Al Jaber has a long experience in management, economics and the renewable energy sector. He has played a pivotal role in the development, development and expansion of the UAE’s renewable energy asset portfolio both domestically and abroad.
All of these factors enable it to play an important role in leading the intergovernmental process of convergence of views and consensus to reach a global consensus to raise the bar for climate ambition, in collaboration with a wide variety of partners and stakeholders, including business and civil society.
Bloomberg’s praise didn’t stop there. It went beyond that to say that most world leaders supported the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber as designated President of COP28, including President Joe Biden’s special climate envoy, John Kerry.
In the article, the International Agency focused on the recent visit of Sultan Al Jaber to India, during which he explained the seriousness of the challenge that awaits the world, and conveyed the desire of the United Arab Emirates to help India achieve its ambitious goals in the field of clean energy.
Sultan Al Jaber called for more investment in decarbonization technology, including nuclear and hydrogen energy. He endorsed an inclusive community approach that mobilizes every sector and demands more development banks and financial institutions.
Sultan Al Jaber also spoke about the need to mitigate the climate impact of fossil fuels during the global transition to clean energy.
In the article, Bloomberg noted that Sultan Al Jaber, the founding CEO and current chairman of Masdar, which aims to generate 100 gigawatts of renewable energy by the end of the decade, a goal that exceeds that set by some major European countries. If each country aims to produce the same amount of renewable energy per capita over the next seven years as the UAE, the battle against climate change could shift.
In 2006, at the direction of the leadership of the UAE, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber led the team that established Masdar with the aim of focusing on accelerating efforts to diversify renewable energy sources in the country, the region and the world.
Masdar has contributed to the UAE’s renewable energy goals, has played a pivotal role in diversifying and doubling the UAE’s renewable energy asset portfolio, and has made outstanding investments in renewable and clean energy projects in more than 40 countries around the world, including many island and African countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Masdar is working to boost its production capacity to 100 gigawatts of renewable energy in its local and global portfolio by 2030.
Bloomberg did not deny that the task is difficult, especially in light of the multiplication of pressures on rich countries to fulfill their financial obligations to the developing world, and the prompting of development banks and sovereign wealth funds to expand their ambitions; Help overcome barriers to increased private sector investment in clean energy projects, especially in the developed world.
Sultan Al Jaber’s career is characterized by a responsible and practical approach to achieve a realistic, practical, and fair transition in the energy sector that contributes to the achievement of effective climate action, ensuring energy security and availability while achieving economic growth.
