The UAE is a reliable supplier of some of the world’s least carbon-intensive oil and gas, as the Emirates achieves record growth in renewables, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, managing director and group chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and the UAE’s special envoy for climate change.
Renewables represented more than 80 per cent of all new power-generating capacity last year and it is the clearest sign yet that the energy transition is gathering pace, Dr Al Jaber wrote in an article published in Project Syndicate, state news agency Wam reported.
“Recent events have shown that unplugging the current energy system before we have built a sufficiently robust alternative puts both economic and climate progress at risk — and calls into question whether we can ensure a just transition that is equitable to all," Dr Al Jaber wrote.
A successful energy transition must be built on progress for the economy and the climate together, and "must be based on scientific, economic and engineering facts, appreciate the multiple dilemmas and challenging trade-offs and accelerate the deployment of practical solutions", he said.