Dr Nawal Al-Hosany is permanent representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency
January 26, 2024
The future of energy is clean. This is not simply a dream, a wish, or a hope. It is an absolute necessity. With global co-ordination, collaboration and commitments backed by investments, clean energy can be the unstoppable force that turns the tide on climate change.
With the clear commitments made by the global climate community to a transition away from fossil fuels, and the Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge – both announced and fortified in binding language at Cop28 – we are on a pathway to a clean energy, net-zero future, with 1.5°C still within our sights.
Today, the imperative of our clean energy future is in the spotlight, as we observe the inaugural International Day of Clean Energy. This now-official UN observance day arrives on a note of both satisfaction and determination for the UAE.
Satisfaction because for more than two decades, the UAE has driven the clean and renewable energy agenda in the Middle East and beyond. As steadfast advocates and believers in the potential of the Earth’s natural resources as global energy solutions, we have invested, and continue to invest heavily, in the institutions, talent and technologies that have accelerated the capabilities and capacities of our local, regional and international renewable energy systems.
And that is why the UAE, alongside Panama and the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), threw its full weight behind bringing the International Day of Clean Energy Day to fruition.
The celebration of this day by the entire international community is symbolic of the galvanising and unifying role the UAE continues to play in driving collective commitments to realising a sustainable, net-zero future.
Irena director-general Francesco La Camera at the 26th meeting of the Irena Council in Abu Dhabi. Leslie Pableo / The National
Clean energy is the cornerstone of a sustainable future, bridging developmental gaps and opening up a wealth of social, economic and human development opportunities
And determination because we have ambitious targets and deadlines we cannot afford to miss. Thanks to the research and advocacy work done by Irena, the Cop28 Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge places the global community’s crosshairs on a target of triple global renewable energy capacity to more than 11,000 gigawatts by 2030. That is what is needed to ensure that we correct the course from our current trajectory of 2.6°C warming to the critical 1.5°C threshold.
At the same time, as we fast-track the energy transition and build clean and renewable energy capacities, we must also recognise a fundamental truth in the process. Access to clean energy is no longer a luxury; it is a fundamental human right, as the UN’s seventh Sustainable Development Goal makes clear. The necessity of clean energy for all cannot be overstated. Clean energy is the cornerstone of a sustainable future, bridging developmental gaps and opening up a wealth of social, economic and human development opportunities.
There are three further reasons why the world is increasingly focusing on clean energy.
First, clean energy represents the most environmentally friendly and economically viable alternatives to the energy system of today.
It plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are the primary drivers of global warming.
Renewable energy and electrification can deliver up to 75 per cent of the energy-related CO2 emissions reductions needed to steer towards a 1.5°C pathway. At the same time, expanding renewable capacity threefold from today’s levels by the end of the decade, as the Renewables Pledge calls for, would avoid about 7 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions between 2023 and 2030, according to the latest research.
Adopting clean energy means not only cleaner air but also a healthier environment and more sustainable resource utilisation. In the GCC states, solar photovoltaic energy has emerged as the most cost-effective option, underscoring the region’s commitment to sustainable practices. And, amid climbing fossil fuel prices, renewables are today the cheapest form of power.
Second, clean energy is imperative for sustainable development. It meets the growing energy demands of diverse economies and is especially vital for vulnerable areas such as refugee camps, informal settlements, and rural and remote communities. The UAE’s commitment to providing 80 per cent renewable energy in peacekeeping operations by 2030 is a testament to our dedication to sustainable development.
The shift to clean energy opens up a range of job opportunities. According to Irena’s “Renewable Energy and Jobs” report, global employment in the energy sector could rise to 139 million jobs by 2030, including nearly 75 million clean energy jobs. This transition is not just about changing how we power our world, it’s about economic transformation.
However, realising this vision requires international co-operation and strategic partnerships between the public and private sector. Increased financing for clean and renewable energy projects is vital. The UAE’s creation of the $30 billion Alterra fund for global climate solutions, announced at Cop28, is a prime example of our commitment to this cause.
The conditions, the solutions and the determination to realise our clean energy future are in place: it can purify our air, meet growing global energy demand, provide energy access to billions and deliver a secure resource future.
Now, we must meet this moment with a collective and binding will, across countries and continents. Let today, as the first International Day of Clean Energy, sound a clarion call to accelerate the energy transition as we chart a course towards a sustainable future paved and powered by clean energy infrastructure.
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.
The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.
Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.
More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.
The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.
Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:
November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.
December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.
July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.
May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.
New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
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UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
