Kerry Urges the World to Face up to the Enormous Global Challenge – Climate Change

Gulf

April 4th, 5:54am

Abu Dhabi - Asharq Al-Awsat

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Group Managing Director and CEO, and John Kerry during a press conference held Saturday during the US envoy's tour on renewable energy projects in the UAE (WAM)

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has said the world must face up to the "enormous global challenge", which is climate change. Kerry is in Abu Dhabi this week to attend the Regional Climate Dialogue, which takes place on Sunday. "We face an enormous global challenge and it’s growing in intensity," Kerry said. "Tomorrow, we will meet with a number of leaders from the region to share thoughts about what can be best done in order to raise our ambitions in Glasgow, which is the most important conference after the Paris Agreement," he said on Saturday. "I’m delighted to have seen the largest solar field in the world’s largest single-site solar project, Noor Abu Dhabi," Kerry said. He said he listened to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Group Managing Director and CEO, about the UAE’s plan to lead the world in terms of technology as well as in mitigation of emissions. It’s remarkable to find the UAE trying to lead many other nations in the search of new technology to address the global climate challenge and in transitioning to the new economy while facing this crisis, he continued. Earlier, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate visited Abu Dhabi's Noor solar park, on the first day of a trip to the Emirates. Kerry was given a helicopter tour of the facility, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world. He was accompanied by Dr. Al Jaber. Kerry was later shown another major solar development, Shams 1, south of Zayed City in Al Dhafra. He concluded the day with a visit to Jubail Mangrove Park. Mangroves, native to the UAE, have the triple benefit of preventing coastal erosion, encouraging biodiversity, and capturing more carbon per hectare than rainforests. For his part, Jaber said: "Over the past 15 years, the UAE has made bold commitments on climate change, domestically and internationally, and has demonstrated its ability to act on them. Looking ahead, we look forward to further building on this progress to turn political commitments into new practical solutions with long-term economic benefits for the UAE, the Mena region, and the world."

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2898781/kerry-urges-world-face-enormous-global-challenge-%E2%80%93-climate-change