PARIS // The UAE negotiators at the Paris climate conference are pleased with a draft agreement that could encourage developing countries to fight climate change.
It is believed that the document will accommodate the needs of developing and developed countries, an obstacle to previous negotiations. If a consensus is reached, it would lead to reduced emissions around the world but allow countries to determine the means of achieving its goals according to their abilities.
“Over the past few years we have done a very good job at making sure the document is in a good place for us,” said Majid Al Suwaidi, lead UAE negotiator in the COP21 meeting.
“The good thing in this agreement different to previous ones is it makes a recognition that this is a diversified approach, so each country gets to chose nationally determined outcomes.”
Developed countries “have a historic responsibility” in the negotiations, said Mr Al Suwaidi.
“We believe developed countries have to take a lead in mitigation and provide support in adaptation.”
The 48-page document, which has been four years in the making, was submitted yesterday for approval to ministers around the world.
They will discuss its nuances and mould it to the needs of each country for what Mr Al Suwaidi hopes will be a legally binding agreement.
Poorer countries have a commitment to first bring themselves out of poverty.
“So to pay for a solar farm in rural India when a coal power plant is cheaper means that developed countries need to pay for the difference, because developing countries’ responsibility is to bring people out of poverty,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.
The UAE, though still considered a developing country, voluntarily pays for its own actions regarding sustainability and will continue to do so.
“This agreement won’t affect us that much domestically because we already have enacted policies,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.
“Where it will impact us more significantly is internationally.”
The draft agreement will continue to be discussed at least until Friday.
A major factor in the negotiations is how to hold countries accountable to their commitments.
“This is one of the big questions for this agreement – [what] will happen if we don’t achieve our goals,” said Mr Al Suwaidi. “Well, the obvious thing is that it will be bad for the whole planet. That’s the difference now, because we are collectively taking responsibility for Earth.”
Any agreement reached in Paris to reduce demand on fossil fuels will have a greater long-term effect on the UAE than in the short term, because of the country’s current policies, he said.
While it is important to diversify the UAE economy, oil and gas produced in the GCC will be cheaper to produce than other fossil fuels – in shale, for example – at least for the next 20 years, said Mr Al Suwaidi.
“That’s why it is very important for our country to develop our economy into renewables and other types of products that we can produce.”
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
