Our focus is on renewable energy: Mohammed

About 2,000 heads of state, government officials, businessmen and environment experts attend 4th Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

19 January 2016

Human development and lifestyle, as it stands at the moment, is making the earth sick. To brainstorm a solution, about 2,000 heads of state, government officials, businessmen and environment experts met here on Monday for the 4th Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who attended the event along with His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, said the UAE seeks to achieve sustainable economic diversification as part of UAE Vision 2021.

The UAE is committed to contributing to meet the growing global demand for energy through the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies, he said, during the opening of the 9th World Future Energy Summit.

Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico, shared some of his country's achievements. "Recently, we changed our laws to increase clean energy by 35 per cent by 2024 and 50 per cent by 2050. Currently, we have 27 per cent of renewable energy in our energy mix," he said.

Meanwhile, the 8th Zayed Future Energy Prize's Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to former Norwegian PM Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland for her role in leading the world on issues of global significance along with eight other winners. - silvia@khaleejtimes.com

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "We are the first generation with an opportunity to end poverty, but we are the last generation with a chance to combat climate change."

Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar, said: "We convene at a time of unprecedented unity. For two decades we kept saying 'we must', 'we can', 'we should', but last month in Paris 'we did'! Never before (have) business market forces ... aligned so closely with political will to achieve sustainable development."

Meanwhile, the 8th Zayed Future Energy Prize's Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian prime minister and first woman to win the prize due to her role in leading the world on issues of global significance along with eight other winners.

Happening only one month after COP-21, the UN's conference on climate change in Paris, the Abu Dhabi meet is focussed on the Paris Agreement. As per that agreement, global leaders will adopt national measures to check climate change, give access to water and electricity to all and double investments in renewable energy in order to cut carbon emissions and avoid unmanageable global warming.