I was drawn to study science because it represented a way of decoding and making sense of the world. It has always been about discovering the underlying reasons behind things.
Our cars, our homes, and our smartphones owe a debt to science. The energy that powers every aspect of our modern world, from the clothes we wear to the food we eat. All of these were developed and improved through, and because of, the contribution of science and scientists.
In fact, one of the aspects about my job as a scientist that I loved the most was that I spent my time expanding the bounds of human knowledge. But importantly, I have always thought of science as a verb, not a noun. It is something you do, not something you know. It is practical. One can improve the lives of people around the world through science.
That ethos is one I have sought to put at the heart of my leadership of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. At the ministry, we deliberately draw on scientific data to inform our national climate strategies. Collaboration with scientists has led to strategies and policies that not only align with the Paris Agreement but are unique to our country’s specific environmental opportunities, strengths and vulnerabilities. Our Nationally Determined Contribution and Net Zero 2050 Strategy, for example, are policies rooted in data and analysis.
Culturally, armed with evidence, information and expertise, I want our team to become active and curious problem solvers, challenging themselves to address issues across the breadth of our brief – including, but not limited to, food security, desertification, the health of oceans and species conservation.
At the ministry, we understand that science is our ally. Science is mankind’s response to societal needs and global challenges. And no challenge requires science more that the challenge of climate change.
The environmental programmes we promote and invest in internationally are rooted in science. Take the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, for example. Because we understand the science behind the natural world, we have been able discover that mangroves could be a secret weapon in helping to turn the tide on climate change.
Scientific research has helped us understand that mangrove trees act like a carbon bank – capturing four times more carbon than rainforests and locking it deep in their roots or vaults. What’s more, they then keep that harmful gas from entering the atmosphere for millennia. That discovery has led our ambition to plant huge swathes of new mangroves to guard our shores and waterways, but also to encourage other nations to follow and grow mangrove habitats throughout the world.
But my scientific education teaches me that innovation and investigation should never sleep. And that is why the UAE continues to fund and invest in scientific research that will deepen our understanding of mangroves.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of being in Bali to unveil the Mohamed bin Zayed-Joko Widodo International Mangrove Research Centre, which will be built on 2.5 hectares of land in Bali's Ngurah Rai Forest Park.
Backed with $13 million of investment from the UAE, the centre will be an ideal platform for scientists and researchers to join forces and exchange knowledge to improve our ability to counter current and future environmental challenges. The work environmental scientists conduct there will help humanity understand more about how the process of carbon sequestration works to stem the tide of climate change and even reverse the seemingly inexorable journey to disaster.
The mangrove alliance is emblematic of our commitment to science. Science is the beating heart of all the global, regional and domestic programmes that the ministry supports. My exceptional colleagues across the ministry, who lead programmes such as our Extended Product Responsibility Initiative, Biological Risk Predictor, the National Animal Health Plan, Palm Pest Control Project, and the National Carbon Registry, will tell you how much their work is informed by scientific rigour.
My team is committed to achieving sustainable and effective solutions, and they know that we must continue to use evidence-based decision-making at a strategic level. To do this, we must empower the scientific community to drive transformative solutions for a sustainable future, because collaboration is critical in enabling science to govern our climate action.
The beneficiaries of science are all around us – every community in the UAE and beyond. The old, the young and the generations to come.
Before putting pen to paper on this piece, I turned to a member of the next generation. On the school run, I told my son that I wanted to explain to people why I was putting science at the heart of my vision for the ministry, and I asked him what he would say about science.
“That’s easy, Mum,” he replied. “It’s the foundation of everything.”
He is right.
And that is why scientific research deserves our steady commitment and support, and why science is the basis for the decisions we take and the investments we make at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
