Berliner Zeitung
by Ahmed Alattar
19 December, 2023
Why Greta was wrong. An op-ed by Ahmed Alattar, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Germany.
The challenge was enormous. As a country with one of the world’s largest
oil reserves, in one of the world’s most unstable regions, with the CEO of the
world’s largest oil and gas companies running the event, COP28 to the outside
observer seemed to be the COP that was doomed to fail. In other words, confirming
Greta Thunberg’s opinion of what COP is: “Blah Blah”.
In this case I can say, we are glad that Greta was wrong. After 13 long, arduous days on the COP28 site, which also held the highly successful EXPO2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, COP28 UAE has charted a path towards a future, the hailed ‘UAE Consensus’.
The Consensus includes language on addressing the issue of fossil fuel phaseout, increasing energy efficiency, tripling renewables and handling issues such as climate finance, loss and damage and methane emissions. Additionally, COP28 significantly led to a large number of declarations in the first large-scale determined international action to fight climate change in a generation.
That it happened in Dubai is a big symbol of what makes the UAE, the UAE. Only coming into being in 1971, the UAE has quickly risen to become one of the world’s largest tourism, real estate, finance and services hubs. It sees itself as the ‘world’s Singapore’ and the ‘world’s London’ combined, a bridge in between Africa, Asia and Europe.
Some of the world’s busiest airports and its biggest airlines shuttle merchants, industrialists and consultants all around the world. While firms such as renewables-investing MASDAR develops wind farms in Germany, firms such as EMAL produce Aluminium for BMW, sovereign wealth funds such as ADIA and ADQ invest the wealth of today for tomorrow.
Many countries which produce oil and gas cannot boast of similar institutions or a similar degree of diversification. In a sense, the UAE has been trying to do what the world is trying to do: break its dependence on fossil fuels in a way that creates value, and does not destroy it, as well as lead on renewable energy.
In my many engagements across Germany, we were met with much skepticism over our role and ambition for COP28. There was questioning of the credentials of Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati technocrat who juggles MASDAR with ADNOC, the state-owned oil and gas company to run the process. There was questioning of the UAE’s suitability despite it being a global trade and financial hub which could bring everyone together. Finally, there was just plain lack of awareness about the UAE that is so common and that is my job to fix.
In a sense the story of COP28 is the story of the UAE. Misunderstood, under-estimated and quickly judged, it regardless has delivered in a way that surprised everyone. There are many oil states, countries in the Middle East, and newly created countries that have failed. That the UAE has succeeded, at the most international of levels at the most delicate of conferences is a positive surprise – and a story that the world in these times, especially in the Global South, very much needs.
Globally, COP28 will now enable industry everywhere to incentivize renewables and pour investments into its supply chains. At the same time, it will allow us to oversee a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels that allows us to retain our global economies, our ways of life and the future of our planet and our children.
Link to article - Berliner Zeitung
