UAE’s Climate Action Plan: Ambitious or Lacking? Campaigners Disagree on Oil and Gas Production Cut
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the host nation of COP28, has submitted its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations, setting an emissions reduction target for 2035. The plan aims to reduce emissions by 47% between 2019 and 2035, with the ultimate goal of reaching net zero by 2050. The UAE’s NDC includes measures such as installing solar and nuclear power, investing in carbon capture and storage technologies, and producing oil and gas in a less polluting manner.
The UAE claims that its new NDC is in line with the 1.5C warming limit and will help ensure that this target remains achievable. However, climate campaigners have criticized the plan for not addressing the production of oil and gas, which is projected to increase by a third by 2035. This omission raises concerns about the UAE’s commitment to cutting emissions in line with global targets.
While the UAE aims for a 47% reduction in emissions, climate scientists working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest that global emissions need to fall by 60% between 2019 and 2035 to stay within the 1.5C limit. The discrepancy highlights the challenges countries face in balancing ambition with fairness based on their national circumstances.
The UAE’s previous NDC aimed to reduce emissions by 19% by 2030, but current policies suggest emissions may instead rise by 16-20% by the end of the decade. This underscores the importance of countries revising and strengthening their NDCs to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
As part of a fresh round of NDC submissions, all 194 countries that signed the Paris Agreement are expected to submit updated and more ambitious targets every five years. The UAE is the first country to publish a new NDC in this round, with others expected to follow suit in the coming months.
Climate experts and campaigners have called on countries like the UAE to end fossil fuel expansion and prioritize decarbonization efforts. The International Energy Agency has emphasized that new fossil fuel projects are not compatible with the 1.5C warming limit, highlighting the need for a shift towards cleaner energy sources.
Overall, the UAE’s NDC submission has sparked debate and raised questions about the country’s commitment to reducing emissions and addressing the challenges of climate change. As countries continue to update their NDCs, the focus remains on aligning targets with the Paris Agreement goals and taking concrete actions to mitigate the impacts of global warming.