Dr Sultan Al Jaber meets US climate envoy John Kerry at the White House

The pair discussed opportunities to accelerate climate action before Cop28

Cop28 President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber, centre-left, opposite US climate envoy John Kerry and their delegations at the White House. Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador to the US, third left, also attended the meeting. Photo: UAE Embassy in the USShow less

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 president-designate, met US climate envoy John Kerry at the White House on Thursday.

During their meeting, they discussed opportunities for raising climate ambition and accelerating climate action on the road to Cop28 in Dubai, the US embassy and consulate in the UAE said on its website.

The discussion focused on the need to evolve the multilateral development bank system to help unlock additional climate finance in support of mitigation and adaptation actions to protect the environment.

They also talked about the role of the US Inflation Reduction Act in accelerating investment and lowering costs in key clean technologies.

The act was signed into law in August last year and aims to commercialise leading-edge technologies such as carbon capture, storage and clean hydrogen.

Both sides also recognised the role of the US-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy as a promising platform for helping to catalyse meaningful projects and investments in the fight against climate change.

The strategic partnership was signed on November 1 and aims to invest $100 billion to produce 100 gigawatts of clean energy globally by 2035.

During the signing ceremony, both countries reiterated their shared commitment to enhancing their climate ambitions and action, in line with their goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

In their meeting at the White House, Dr Al Jaber, who is also the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Mr Kerry also agreed to maintain regular dialogue to contribute to a successful Cop28 and a well-managed energy transition that delivers enhanced climate action alongside energy security and affordability.

The meeting was attended by Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador to the US; Gen Majid Al Suwaidi, director of Cop28, and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, among other senior Emirati and American officials.

In January, Mr Kerry had said he has “high expectations” for the UAE to put the energy transition front and centre when it hosts Cop28 in December.

Separately, Dr Sultan Al Jaber and Michael Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, announced a new partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to promote meaningful climate action from cities, businesses, financial institutions and civic organisations ahead of Cop28.