For seven days, conservationists from all over the world gathered in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to exchange experiences, lessons, and set out necessary actions to address the biodiversity and climate crises. In total, nearly ten thousand people attended the World Conservation Congress, organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), held from October 9 to 15. As the host country, the UAE is betting on innovation and technology to tackle the challenges of conserving nature and facing the climate emergency.
The country’s goals under the Paris Agreement – which include the challenge of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while continuing to explore fossil fuels – and its efforts to protect endangered species such as the Arabian oryx and the dugong were among the highlights in the speech of the UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak.
In an interview with ((o))eco, the minister emphasized the need for innovative solutions to close the climate finance gap – one of the key issues that COP30 aims to untangle – and for “investing in solutions driven by the Global South for the Global South, because we want investments and funds to go to those who need them most,” she said.
As the countdown to the Climate Conference (COP30), to be held in Belém, Brazil, begins, the minister also underscored the role of the IUCN and the resolutions approved during the congress in providing scientific grounding for the debates and negotiations that will take place at COP. “It is very timely to hold the congress now, before COP30 in Belém, to ensure we have a clear path, well-informed by science, coming from the IUCN, which is the largest scientific organization working with nature and biodiversity,” she pointed out during the interview.
Read the full interview with minister Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak:
((o))eco: The United Arab Emirates hosted the 2023 Climate COP (COP28) and has just hosted the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the largest gathering of conservationists in the world. What does it mean for the country to welcome these global environmental and climate leaders?
I think that, over the past decades, the UAE has proven to be a powerhouse in convening the world. We are facing enormous global challenges, and these challenges can never be seen from a single angle, as they have cascading effects on humans and other forms of life across the planet. Even if they occur on one side of the globe, they affect the other. With challenges this vast, we need a central hub to gather global will, to discuss these challenges transparently and practically, and from these discussions, derive solutions, declarations, and agreements that help organize global efforts to achieve real, impactful outcomes.
By nature, the UAE has always been very innovative and ambitious. We come from a place of scarce natural resources. We live in an arid environment, with high temperatures and other challenges. But that has never stopped us from exploring innovative solutions. Facing each challenge creatively is deeply rooted in our identity. With those beliefs, I would say that collaboration and innovation drive sustainable development in the UAE’s strategy and values. That is what has allowed the UAE to become this place for convening the world, whether for COP28, the IUCN Congress, or other major platforms addressing these global challenges and finding effective solutions.
E os Emirados Árabes Unidos, por natureza, têm sido muito inovadores e ambiciosos. Viemos de um lugar onde há escassez de recursos naturais. Vivemos em um ambiente árido, com altas temperaturas e outros desafios. Mas isso nunca nos impediu de explorar soluções inovadoras para esses desafios. Portanto, encarar cada desafio de forma inovadora e tentar encontrar soluções criativas é algo que também está bem enraizado em nossa identidade. E com essas crenças, eu diria que na estratégia e nos valores dos Emirados Árabes Unidos, a colaboração e a inovação impulsionam o desenvolvimento sustentável. Isso é algo que permitiu aos Emirados Árabes Unidos se tornarem este lugar de encontro do mundo, seja na COP 28 ou no Congresso da IUCN, passando por outras plataformas globais que virão aos Emirados Árabes Unidos para abordar esses desafios globais e encontrar soluções eficazes.
The country led the efforts to save the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) from the brink of extinction. How do you view the UAE’s role in biodiversity protection?
Once again, this stems from our identity and values. The Arabian oryx breeding program was initiated by our founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in the late 1960s, when he realized the oryx was about to go extinct in the wild and that there was a very limited chance to recover it. He started this pioneering captive breeding program for the Arabian oryx. Today, we have the largest population of this species in the UAE, both inside and outside our conservation areas.
We also have another example, related to the dugong. One of our largest marine conservation areas, the UNESCO Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, here in Abu Dhabi, hosts the second largest dugong population in the world, after Australia. And the first in population density within this area, with up to seven dugongs per square kilometer. This is not surprising, as the UAE also holds 6% of the world’s seagrass, which is the dugong’s main source of food. The UAE has preserved the natural ecosystem that allows these creatures to thrive in the wild. This is one of nine key biodiversity areas identified in the UAE that host endemic and endangered species, contributing to the conservation of these species and ensuring their habitats remain intact so they can continue to flourish.
The World Conservation Congress focuses heavily on biodiversity, but the climate agenda has gained more space in the discussions. Just before COP30 in Brazil, what are your expectations for the conference?
I think this brings enormous significance to this IUCN Congress, to be held right before COP30, which will take place in Brazil, in Belém, at the heart of one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Considering all the resolutions and motions discussed at the IUCN Congress, with more than 100 motions voted on by 1,400 members, including governments, NGOs, the private sector, and other entities, that will inform the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and many of the discussions at COP30. It is very timely to hold the congress now, before Belém, to ensure we have a clear, science-based pathway, guided by the IUCN, the world’s largest scientific organization working on nature and biodiversity.
The UAE’s NDC commits to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. What will it take to achieve that over the next 25 years?
The UAE was the first country to submit its NDC, the first in the region to ratify the Paris Agreement, and the first to announce a net-zero strategy for 2050. We remain consistent and committed to our climate agenda. Climate action requires consistency in terms of commitment. Many countries have submitted their NDCs, and even if some are not yet ambitious enough, progress is being made. We must ensure progress continues toward the defined goal, keeping the 1.5°C target within reach.
Many NDC ambitions are challenging due to the climate finance gap. That’s why COP29 in Azerbaijan and COP30 in Brazil are focused on closing that financial gap. During the first day of COP28 [held in Dubai], the UAE mobilized the Loss and Damage Fund, vital for many vulnerable countries and key to implementing more resilience actions in those affected by climate change.
Regarding financing, what is the UAE’s position on how the fund should operate?
As I mentioned earlier, innovation plays a role in everything we do. One of the UAE’s focuses at COP28 was creating more innovative financing models, applicable within the context of every country. Traditional funding models may no longer work. One initiative launched by His Highness the President of the UAE at COP28 was the Altérra Fund, a US$30 billion fund created to drive climate solutions.
Its first investment opportunity was identified in co-investing US$100 million in an Indian startup, Evren, to support the energy transition. The fund’s main goal is to invest in solutions from the Global South for the Global South, because we want funds to reach those who need them most, and those most in need often create the most practical, scalable, and sustainable solutions. This is only the beginning of many investment opportunities to come. So, to answer the question, innovation in climate finance must be the priority: how can we create more innovative and effective investment models to help countries meet their NDCs and advance toward net-zero goals?
The UAE is economically dependent on fossil fuels and intends to continue exploring them while relying on carbon capture and storage to reduce emissions. How are investments progressing toward this goal?
We must look in a structured way. Achieving net zero involves multiple layers of intervention. Our roadmap spans six main sectors, each with identified projects and actions. We’re talking about a 25-year strategy that must be evaluated and adjusted over time. Emission reduction efforts involve several frameworks and layers. It starts by improving power grid efficiency. At COP28, the “UAE Consensus” identified two key goals to cut emissions. One is to double energy efficiency and triple renewable energy. Improving electrical grid efficiency is the number one factor for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The UAE launched a Global Alliance for Energy Efficiency, where we want to work with other countries to improve their energy efficiency, their power grids, so we can collectively reduce emissions. Climate action is a global challenge, no single country can achieve it alone. So whatever we do in the UAE, we think how we can transfer this implementation to other countries, to have global progress.
Next comes clean energy sources. The UAE has invested US$150 billion in clean energy so far. It hosts some of the largest solar plants, such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar facility in the world. This expertise has also been exported to other countries as opportunities through Masdar, one of our leading clean energy companies.
We also have other projects, such as the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which today covers 24% of the UAE’s energy needs. Solar energy’s share is also growing rapidly thanks to these mega-projects.
Then comes carbon sequestration. Carbon removal can be approached from two sides: nature-based solutions and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. The right technology has not yet been developed so that we can make economical value of the captured carbon, so we make it more scalable and impactful.
The UAE is also investing heavily in nature-based solutions, both nationally and globally. The UAE co-founded the Mangrove Alliance for Climate with Indonesia, now joined by 45 countries representing 60% of the world’s mangrove ecosystems. The alliance is developing initiatives to channel funds toward restoring and rehabilitating these ecosystems. Nationally, we have committed to planting 100 million mangrove trees by 2030. To achieve this ambitious target, we’ve turned to technology. We have a startup called Nabat that uses drone-based mangrove planting with a 40% success rate, the highest globally for such technology. The drones do surveillance, identify planting areas, and carry out the planting itself.
So there is a highly structured methodology behind our net-zero roadmap. But as I said, we must constantly evaluate and adjust as we move forward. That’s why we are focused on building a robust monitoring, reporting, and verification system, to have a full picture of national emissions and take proactive, not reactive, corrective actions toward our goals.
As a minister, what is your vision for the future? Do you believe the planet is on the right path?
One thing we’ve always been is optimistic. I think we must cultivate that spirit of optimism and hope worldwide. We saw how the world came together at this Congress, the largest IUCN World Conservation Congress ever, and we witnessed the commitments of all stakeholders and the 1,400 members who took part. Are we on the right path? I think, as I said, as long as we keep making progress and do not stray from our ultimate goal, we will eventually get there.
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