Although the energy transition will not happen at the “flip of a switch,” it is attainable if the world focuses on pragmatic, practical and commercially-focused solutions, according to HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change.
To meet the energy needs of almost 9.5 billion people globally, the world needs to produce 30% more energy, Jaber told WAM, ahead of the UAE’s participation at COP27 in Egypt.
However, in meeting the energy demand through the infrastructure and capital assets that the world currently relies on, the focus must remain on driving down emissions and accelerating investment in new clean energy systems, he said.
“For this, the world needs all the solutions it can get. It is not hydrocarbons or solar, not wind or nuclear or hydrogen. It is all the above, plus the clean energies yet to be discovered, commercialized and deployed. In short, the world needs maximum energy and minimum emissions. This is the approach we are taking in the UAE,” Al Jaber said.
Al Jaber said at COP27, he aims to highlight the UAE’s decades-long track-record of climate diplomacy and creating practical climate solutions, especially across developing and vulnerable nations.
“We also want to build capacity and enhance cooperation ahead of COP28, the Emirates Climate Conference, with the goal of identifying practical, inclusive and ambitious pathways to climate action that will benefit billions of people across the world,” Al Jaber said.