Joint Statement :The U.S. and the U.A.E. on Climate Challenge

 Joint Statement: The United States and the United Arab Emirates Working Together on Climate Challenge

04/05/2021 12:03 PM EDT

Office of the Spokesperson

At the conclusion of Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, the two nations released the following statement:

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The United States and the United Arab Emirates are committed to working together to take on the climate challenge. We believe decisive action can be an engine for economic growth and sustainable development.

We will work to strengthen the implementation of the Paris Agreement and promote the success of COP26 in Glasgow. Mindful of the importance and urgency of raising global climate ambition, we each intend to take steps to decarbonize our economies in line with our national circumstances and economic development plans, including reducing our emissions by 2030.

We will also cooperate closely to make new investments in financing decarbonization across both the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the wider international community and help the most vulnerable adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. In this regard, we are encouraged by new regional initiatives, such as the Green Middle East initiative by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

We will particularly focus our joint efforts on renewable energy, hydrogen, industrial decarbonization, carbon capture and storage, nature-based solutions, and low-carbon urban design – exemplified by model cities like Masdar City, and the world’s largest single-site solar facility in Noor in Abu Dhabi. We take note of opportunities in the UAE, such as the world’s lowest solar power costs, and significant carbon capture investments.

We will partner with the global community to take the necessary steps to keep a Paris-aligned temperature limit within reach, including through country-specific enhancements to nationally determined contributions. We recognize the strong climate efforts of many leading companies and will work closely with the private sector to mobilize the investment and transformative mitigation and adaptation technologies needed to stem the climate crisis and support the economy.

We are encouraged by the conversations we held in Abu Dhabi with other countries in the region, which we believe inaugurated a new era of cooperation in the region for a future focused on prosperity through climate policy, investment, innovation, and sustainable economic growth.