US and UAE seek Middle East climate alliance for green push
Diplomatic success will depend on oil markets’ future in a post-pandemic world and countries’ willingness to accelerate the renewables uptake, writes Anca Gurzu.
The United States and the United Arab Emirates pledged in early April to help finance decarbonisation across the Middle East and North Africa through investments in clean technologies – a sign of renewed climate diplomacy, whose success will hinge on the region’s fossil-fuel dependent economies putting words into action.
The announcement, in the form of a joint statement, follows US Climate Envoy John Kerry’s visit to Abu Dhabi on 4 April, where he participated in a regional climate dialogue convened by the UAE, which also brought together nine other Mid-East nations.
Officials discussed how to step up the deployment of renewable energy and hydrogen production in the region, reduce emissions from hydrocarbon fuels and spur investments in innovative solutions, such as capturing and storing carbon.
In a separate statement, signed by all participating countries, they “committed to accelerate climate action,” and emphasised the link between investments in low-carbon solutions and job creation.
In an interview with The National, Kerry highlighted “the importance of an oil and gas-producing nation [the UAE] bringing together a group of nations that many people might think were improbably committed to dealing with [the] climate crisis.”
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter and the de facto leader of the OPEC group, was not at the table.
Kerry’s UAE visit, followed by a trip to India where climate was also top of the agenda, is part of the US’ efforts to reassert itself on the international climate stage and seek deeper international emission-cutting commitments just weeks ahead of the Leaders’ Summit on Climate on April 22. This is a Biden-led event bringing together 40 world leaders aimed at boosting climate action ahead of COP 26 in November.
The road won’t be easy – especially across MENA, where oil and gas are primary energy supply sources. The carefully worded joint statement from the US and UAE hints at that.
The two countries stated they will “intend to take steps to decarbonise our economies in line with our national circumstances and economic development plans” — and those circumstances could be tricky.
Source: theparliamentmagazine
