Opening remarks at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial Conference

Sultan Al Jaber: Under the directives of the country's leadership, we are working to expand the production of emission-free energy sources

Al Jaber during his opening speech at the Copenhagen Ministerial Conference on Climate Change. WAM

The Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and President-designate of the Conference of the Parties (COP28), Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, stressed that the world needs to expand energy production from all available emission-free sources, while reducing the emissions of all other energy sources.

This came during Al-Jaber's opening speech at the Copenhagen Ministerial Conference on Climate Change, which he co-chaired with the Egyptian Foreign Minister and COP27 Chairman, Sameh Shoukry, and the Danish Minister of Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jørgensen.

The two-day Copenhagen conference, attended by more than 40 government ministers, is the first high-level political meeting to be held after COP27, and aims to pave the way for the success of COP28, which will be hosted by the UAE later this year, in addition to following up on the implementation of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the outcomes of COP27.

During the conference, Al Jaber held a series of bilateral meetings with a number of officials and ministers from around the world, including UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Steele, German State Minister and Special Envoy for International Climate Action Jennifer Morgan, Bangladesh's Minister of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Muhammad Shahabuddin, European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, Singapore's Minister of Sustainability and Environment, Grace Fu, Chinese Vice Minister of Environment Zhao Yingmin, and Minister of Natural Resources. Environment and Tourism in Samoa Tolisolosolo Sidric Schuster, et al.

In his opening speech, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: "In line with the directives of the leadership in the UAE, we seek to build on the foundations laid by COP27, and move from the stage of setting goals to implementing them, especially that the world is still far from the right track to maintain the most important goal, which is to avoid exceeding the rise in the temperature of the planet 1.5 degrees Celsius, and we need to achieve radical progress, and a qualitative shift in the next seven years, through the topics of mitigation and adaptation, climate finance, loss and damage. Because small steps will not be enough."

Regarding mitigation, Al-Jaber called on the countries of the world to expand the production of energy from all available zero-emission sources, as well as reduce emissions from all other energy sources; he said that high-cost technology is not beneficial to anyone, and governments should adopt smart policies to stimulate commercially viable solutions, such as improving energy storage systems using batteries, reducing the cost of capturing carbon, and developing hydrogen projects and technologies.

Regarding the transition in the energy sector, Al-Jaber explained that the world needs to achieve a practical and realistic transition in the energy sector, which includes all its sources, and focuses on reducing emissions, and not abandoning the current energy system before the readiness of the future energy system.

He pointed to the need to develop the climate action system, include a commercial mindset in it, adopt key performance indicators for the near term, develop an ambitious and practical agenda, and focus on the goal of reducing emissions, not slowing growth and progress.

With regard to the adaptation goal, Al Jaber reiterated the importance of building a framework for the global goal on adaptation, which meets the needs of developing countries, protects biodiversity, and promotes resilience and nature-based solutions, adding that "it is necessary to double the funding allocated for adaptation, and adopt national policies to build the capacities of each country and qualify them to adapt to the repercussions of climate change."

With regard to loss and damage, Al-Jaber stressed the need to take advantage of the progress achieved at COP27 held in Sharm El-Sheikh, which requires activating the Loss and Damage Fund, managing it properly, and with an appropriate organizational structure so that it can be used to the communities most exposed to the repercussions of climate change.

He said that climate finance is the basis of progress, and we have an opportunity to set new financing targets at COP28 that help us chart a new path for greater climate ambition, calling for an urgent development of the performance of international financial institutions and multilateral development banks, to provide more concessional financing, reduce risks and attract more financing from the private sector.

The president-designate of COP28 stressed the urgent need to "join hands and agree on common goals, and that there is no room for division and division, because the world is advancing through partnership, not closure."

"The task before us is one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced, but if we recognize the importance of the issues at hand, work together, and start now, we will turn this challenge into one of the greatest opportunities for social and economic development," he said.

The visit to Copenhagen is the latest in Al Jaber's global listening tour, in his capacity as President-designate of COP28, which aims to meet and hear from a range of partners across governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations.

Sultan Al Jaber:

• "In line with the vision of the UAE leadership, we seek to build on the outcomes of COP27, and move from goals to achieving them."

"The world is off track to maintain the most important goal, which is to avoid overtaking global warming."

"Costly technology is not good for anyone, and governments should develop hydrogen projects and technologies."

"We need to urgently develop the performance of international financial institutions and multilateral development banks."