The UAE Embassy in Vienna organized a seminar entitled, “Climate Change Challenges and Initiatives,” which comes in line with the UAE’s keenness to support regional and international initiatives aimed at halting climate change by reducing emissions and increasing the efficiency of clean and renewable energy, as part of the launch of the National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050, WAM reports.
During the virtual seminar, Ibrahim Salim Al Musharrakh, UAE Ambassador to Austria, delivered a speech via video conferencing on the UAE’s role in the global efforts to address climate change, noting the country has achieved many successes in the environmental field and relevant multilateral cooperation, such as its hosting of the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE was also the first country in the region to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement and commit to reducing emissions across all economic sectors, he added.
During the conference, Al Musharrakh presented the UAE’s initiatives and projects aimed at reducing the impact of climate change, most notably those related to clean and renewable energy, in addition to an Emirati project that aims to produce hydrogen through the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance.
The participants of the session included Helmut Hojesky, Head of Climate Policy Coordination Department of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Qais Bader Al Suwaidi, Director of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Jürgen Streitner, Head of Department of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Department for Environmental and Energy Policy, Hana Al Hashimi, Head of the Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, Christoph Scharff, Management Board ARA AG and Zainab Al Ali, Head of Outreach & Stakeholder Relations at Masdar, who discussed climate-related challenges and the initiatives of the UAE and Austria to counter climate change, in addition to potential opportunities for cooperation.
They also highlighted the distinguished overall relations between the two countries, as well as the importance of coordinating to protect the environment and address climate change.
