The UAE was the only OPEC country to take part in clean energy talks
among 23 major economies this week, solidifying its “unique” position as
an oil producer looking beyond fossil fuels, the country’s top climate
official said yesterday.
The Emirates hosted the talks, which followed its decision to become the
first and only GCC state to recognise the Copenhagen Accord, a climate
agreement reached in December. The UAE was also not among OPEC states
that this month blocked a UN inquiry into tougher action to counter
global warming.
The developments highlight the priority the Government places on
promoting clean energy and reducing emissions from fossil fuels, but
also underscore sharpening differences with fellow oil producers on the
same issues, analysts said.
“We’re endeavouring to make a very unique position for the UAE,” said Dr
Sultan al Jaber, the Special Envoy for Climate Change in the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. Dr al Jaber is also the chief executive of Masdar,
the Abu Dhabi Government’s clean-energy company.
“The UAE has, in fact, signed and ratified the Copenhagen Accord. This
demonstrates the UAE’s understanding of its role as a major oil economy
in helping to advance renewable energy in a way that will help mitigate
climate change.”
The Emirates has begun to develop a climate policy distinct from that of
other GCC states, including Saudi Arabia, which has long led
delegations from the region at climate negotiations, said Mari Luomi, a Gulf climate expert at
the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki.
“Because of the role that Abu Dhabi has taken in renewables – and the
emergence of the International Renewable Energy Agency headquarters in
Abu Dhabi plays a key role in that – Abu Dhabi cannot hide behind the
back of its traditional ally in the negotiations,” Ms Luomi said.
Saudi Arabia, the region’s biggest economy, was absent from this week’s
talks, she noted, after being widely perceived as obstructing the pace
of annual climate talks since the 1990s.
“The fact that Abu Dhabi was invited and not Saudi, which is a G20
[Group of 20 leading and emerging economies] member, tells a lot about
what Saudi Arabia is missing on, presumably because of its role in the
[UN talks] – and possibly also because the country does not have an
equivalent of a climate or environment minister or envoy,” Ms Luomi
said.
Government officials of 23 major economies, including the US, China,
Brazil and India, met on Monday and yesterday at the Emirates Palace to
prepare for a ministerial meeting on promoting clean energy in
Washington next month.
This week’s talks behind closed doors discussed ways to promote
renewable energy, efficiency and carbon capture and storage, said David
Sandalow, the assistant secretary for the US department of energy.
“The more these clean energy technologies are deployed, the more the
cost comes down – the more countries co-operate on this agenda is good
for everybody,” Mr Sandalow said.
The meeting in Washington will be the highest-profile clean-energy talks
since the summit in Copenhagen, which was widely criticised for failing
to agree on a new international treaty on global warming.
But Dr al Jaber rejected suggestions the Washington talks would be an
alternative to UN climate negotiations, arguing it could be a “great
contributor” to moving the treaty process forward.
“We are big believers that Copenhagen was not in any way a failure;
Copenhagen was in fact a great success,” he said.