Introduction
Article 14 of the Paris Agreement establishes a regular conference of the parties to the agreement to take “stock of the implementation” of the agreement and the long-term goals, largely revolving around carbon emissions and limiting temperature increases. The stocktake is not meant to isolate or blame any single state but for an honest discussion on the realities of climate change and the means that countries are adopting to combat it given their economic realities and possibilities. While the reporting occurs on a national level, the aim is to pursue collective action and international cooperation, potentially regional or more affluent nations helping those less affluent to develop policies and methods to address their NDCs.
Importance to UAE
The importance of the Global Stocktake for UAE is that the country is an avid champion of climate change and has made significant effort and progress to begin achieving preliminary results. The country sees it as a responsibility to its own citizens but also to global well-being. As a major hydrocarbon economy, UAE is also seeking to diversify and shift away in order to minimize its carbon impact on climate change, so UAE NDCs are more critical than ever in the context of the global economy.
Ways of UAE Engagement
UAE is currently seeking to host COP28 in 2023 which is meant to be the first conference to hold the Global Stocktake. It is receiving great support from the international community because of UAE’s expertise and role as a leader in climate change initiatives that are practical and working on many levels. This expertise took decades to build before the Paris Agreement even came into force. However, the UAE is showing strong results such as deploying the first industrial-scale carbon capture technology and three of the largest solar plants in the world. The UAE has many contributions it can offer to the Global Stocktake to improve collective results.
Conclusion
The UAE’s broad strategy with the National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050 is based on three principles. The first is to manage greenhouse gas emissions while still sustaining economic growth. The second is to minimize risk and improve adaptive capacity to climate change, including a climate-resilient economy and society. Finally, the goal is to enhance economic diversification through innovative solutions such as investment in non-hydrocarbon sectors and modern technologies or key emerging sectors.
References
TradeArabia. (2021). Climate action linked to economic growth: UAE at Pre-COP26. Web.
UAE Government. (n.d.). National climate change plan of the UAE 2017-2050. Web.
United Nations Climate Change. (2022). Global stocktake. Web.