Dr Sultan Al Jaber, President of Cop28, has been recognised for his leadership in sustainable energy by the industry-leading CERAWeek by S&P Global in Texas.
He received the Leadership Award for Building Global Consensus towards a Sustainable Energy Future for delivering the UAE Consensus, agreed to at Cop28 in Dubai in December.
“Last year, I delivered a clear call to action for oil and gas to step up. In fact, I said, ‘Houston, we have a problem’," said Dr Al Jaber, who is also UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.
"Today, I am pleased to say that in Dubai at Cop28 this industry proved that they are essential to the solution."
“On behalf of my leadership and the people of the United Arab Emirates, I am deeply honoured to accept this award for the UAE Consensus."
Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of S&P Global, said that the agreement has paved the way for collaboration between governments and industry to take radical action together.
"Dr Sultan emphasised inclusiveness and engagement as the necessary foundation for climate solutions," Mr Yergin said.
"This was not easy to implement. But in succeeding, Dr Sultan established a new vector for future Cops."
Over the past decade, CERAWeek has honoured Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto.
The UAE Consensus is regarded as delivering a series of firsts, including a commitment from all parties to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, "in a just, orderly and equitable manner".
It also set time-bound targets to greatly increase global renewable energy capacity.
“In a world too often held back by conflict, the UAE Consensus brought nations together to take a giant step forward for climate progress,” Dr Al Jaber said.
“Countries set aside self-interest for the common goal of keeping 1.5°C within reach.
"And multilateralism overcame geopolitics to produce an unprecedented agreement for a fair, orderly and responsible energy transition."
Dr Al Jaber, also chairman of Abu Dhabi green-energy company Masdar and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc, said the task at hand should not be underestimated.
“Let’s keep in mind the sheer size of the energy system we are replacing – over 260 million equivalent barrels of oil, gas and coal consumed every day.
"There is just no avoiding the fact that the energy transition will take time. It will happen in different places at different paces.
"And we need a responsible approach ensuring energy security alongside sustainability every step of the way.”
