The UK's climate envoy has pledged to work with the UAE to offer crucial support to the nations most vulnerable to the growing threat of extreme weather events.
Rachel Kyte, who was appointed UK Special Representative for Climate in October, said the international community has a responsibility to work together to tackle pressing environmental challenges. Both the UK and the UAE have laid out robust climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), ahead of a February deadline set by the United Nations.
These climate targets are expected to be a major focus of the Cop30 UN climate talks in Brazil in November. Ms Kyte said it was critical to assist other countries in achieving their own targets, for the collective wellbeing of the planet. "They need to know that there's international support for them to do what will be needed for that NDC to be reached, and the large part of that is the energy transition." said Ms Kyte.
Slashing emissions
The UAE announced its NDC plans ahead of Cop29 in Baku – with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 47 per cent by 2035. Meanwhile, the UK announced its own plans in November, committing to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81 per cent by 2035, from 1990 levels.
Ms Kyte told The National that these two sets of ambitious NDCs now act as beacons for other countries to follow. "Now we're engaged in what we call NDC diplomacy together with the Secretary General and other leading countries trying to make sure that everybody else's ambition is appropriately high."
This, Ms Kyte said, also provides an opportunity for the UK and UAE to work together to support Brazil ahead of the country hosting the world's largest climate talks. "We will work together with other leading countries to help Brazil deliver the next climate conference. It's how UAE invests in Britain, how Britain invests in UAE, and then how the two of us work with the rest of the world."
Green partnerships
Earlier this month, the EU's climate change monitoring system confirmed that 2024 had been the hottest year on record, with global temperatures remaining 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average. Ms Kyte said the road to renewables is vital to achieving climate targets, and that her trip to the UAE was intended to help the UK along that road.
"The UK's domestic priorities include driving our energy transition and getting to a net zero energy system by 2030, a net zero economy by 2050, so that's very ambitious, and that requires lots of investment." said Kyte. "One reason why I'm here is that the UAE is one of the biggest investors in our renewable energy sector."
The UK's climate chief added that there is room for the UK and UAE to collaborate in areas such as artificial intelligence. "We have a responsibility to work together to protect people elsewhere in the world who can't protect themselves from extreme weather events." said Ms Kyte.
Will Trump topple climate progress?
On January 20, Donald Trump will be sworn into the White House for a second term as US president. During Mr Trump's last administration, the US withdrew from the Paris Agreement – a legally binding international treaty on climate change with the main goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
On whether a change in climate course for the US could derail progress that has been made on renewable energy and climate diplomacy, Ms Kyte said that we will have to "wait and see". However, Ms Kyte emphasised that while the US is the world's largest economy, it "cannot pull the handbrake on the energy transition for itself or for the rest of the world. They are a strategic partner and we will continue to engage with them."
