In the lead-up to COP28, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, recently delivered a keynote speech at the tenth-anniversary meeting of The Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland. This gathering, with over 2,000 participants from more than 60 countries, is the largest international event focused on the Arctic and its role in climate change. The Arctic is a crucial region for climate study due to its rapid climate change impact.
Almheiri emphasized the significance of the Arctic in regulating global climate, noting that it’s warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. Sea ice is declining rapidly, with a 10 percent loss every decade, resulting in rising sea levels, permafrost thaw, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
She urged the international community to take immediate action to address the climate crisis, emphasizing the importance of global cooperation and a commitment to sustainable development. Almheiri proposed transitioning to a global clean energy economy, advocating for substantial investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency while ensuring a just energy transition and energy security for all.
In her role as COP28 Food Systems Lead, she called for a global call to action, urging all nations at the summit to ratify the Emirates Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action. This declaration, launched in July, aims to foster international efforts in developing more sustainable and equitable food systems.
Almheiri highlighted the UAE’s ongoing partnership with Iceland, discussing the collaborative support of scientific work in the Arctic and the challenges posed by melting ice and climate change.
During her visit to Iceland, she toured companies like Carbfix and Climeworks, which focus on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). She learned about mineralization technology at Carbfix, which converts CO2 into stone within two years, offering a natural and permanent emissions storage solution. The delegation also visited the Orca project, the world’s largest direct air capture storage facility, which captures around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Almheiri concluded that witnessing the potential of carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere was inspiring and emphasized the opportunities for climate action through technology and innovation, expressing her commitment to addressing pressing climate issues at COP28.
