By 2050, half of the energy needs of the country will be met by renewable energy, a top official said on Tuesday.

Fahd Mohammed Al Hammadi, director of climate change department, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCaE), during the launch of National Climate Adaptation Programme (NCAP) in Abu Dhabi, said: "By 2021, the total energy supply of clean energies to the energy mix will be 27 per cent of the total energy, and by 2050 the total supply will be 50 per cent."

He added that the UAE seeks to become one the world's most advanced countries in terms of climate change preparedness. "The NCAP will thus provide a platform for exchanging experiences between local and federal authorities to facilitate integration among climate change, economic and social policies and strategies."

Al Hammadi told Khaleej Times that the top three priorities that were developed in the plan are mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while sustaining the economic growth, building climate resilience, and having economic diversification.

He said the UAE has adopted a set of policies that focus on the shift towards a green economy, by introducing new types of clean energy into the national energy mix, enhancing energy efficiency, green construction, sustainable transport, expansion of green spaces, and protecting the environmentally sensitive land and sea areas.
Adaptation is the key

Al Hammadi noted that the first year of the plan includes conducting a field study to evaluate existing climate adaptation efforts and gaps in public health, energy, infrastructure and environment.

"The adaptation is not something new for the UAE, it's something that has been practised even before the exploration of oil before we had electricity. If you look at the old building, you will find that they were designed as cooling systems - people designed them in a way that fit the climate at that time. That itself was an adaptation programme during that period, so the message here is, climate change is something that has been practised a long time ago."

Al Hammadi added that ensuring the UAE's energy supply comes from clean and renewable energy is the key. "When we developed our plan we wanted to see what the other countries are doing, so we looked at South Korea, Singapore, the UK and the Netherlands, who have excellent adaptation plans. The plan for the UAE is not something that we developed from zero - it's already existing. We looked at experiences from different countries and that made our journey shorter."

He said countries around the world also look at the UAE's strategic plans and seek advice. "There are countries, including those in Europe, that are approaching us and also learning from us in order to develop their plan, because climate change is a global issue."

The National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050 is a first-of-its-kind in the region and reflects the UAE's approach to sustainable development. Launched in January 2012 under the theme 'Green Economy for Sustainable Development', the strategy is designed to transform the country's economy into a diversified green economy by 2030. The plan will extend to 2050, by integrating existing environmental policies and measures, in line with the country's future sustainable development plans.

Source: Khaleej Times