The United Arab Emirates may exceed its conservative target of producing 24 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2021. This, according to a top official who was quoted by GulfNews following the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week’s (ADSW) Global Action Day.
“We not only do work in the field of sustainable energy for us but to help others because we believe we have to lead by example. The region needs success stories to learn from and so we like to share what we have with others,” UAE State Minister Dr. Rashid Bin Fahad said.
In the first gathering following COP21, top leaders and executives met at ADSW. The aim was to discuss how the UAE would meet its energy requirements and climate change pledges.
“During COP21, the world finally listened to the late Shaikh Zayed [Bin Sultan Al Nahyan],” Dr. Rashid Bin Fahd said, quoting Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The UAE hopes to set a good example for others in the region to follow. Just this week, the emirates announced that it may be ready to start producing nuclear power by May, after the industry’s regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, approved licenses to transport and store nuclear fuel.
“Achieving sustainable development and meeting the world’s growing demand for energy cannot be met by one source alone. All energy sources, both traditional and new, must work hand-in-hand,” Dr. Sultan al-Jaber, UAE Minister of State, said during the opening ceremony of ADSW. “And that is why our leadership has prioritized economic and energy diversification as fundamental pillars to achieving sustainable development.”