DUBAI: World leaders have spoken of the urgent need for collective action to combat climate change on the second day of the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai.
The UAE’s Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan showcased the nation’s leadership, pledging carbon neutrality by 2050 and a substantial investment in renewables.
He said: “We were the first to pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We have allocated $163 billion for expansion of renewables and to transition towards renewable energies.”
Some leaders used their speeches to broaden the focus beyond environmental matters, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi warning that political challenges occurring alongside the climate change debate are just as serious.
Representatives from Brazil and the EU used their addresses to reinforce commitments to emission reduction, with President Lula da Silva pledging significant reductions by 2030 and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for concrete actions at COP28.
Leaders from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tonga, Guinea-Bissau, as well as Congo, and Mauritania, emphasized the global nature of the climate battle and the need for increased financial support to developing nations.
The call for solidarity resonated as leaders acknowledged the ongoing challenge and the imperative to elevate environmental transformation financing.
