UAE’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan will focus on sustainable economic growth, says Minister of Climate Change and Environment

The UAE’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan will focus on sustainable economic growth, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said today at a virtual event for Masdar employees. Masdar is playing a leading role both in food security and in renewable energy development, where it is supporting “building a greener, healthier future,” His Excellency said. 

“Through linking government support with environmental responsibility and climate action, we will help ensure a greener recovery and enable companies to achieve their green potential,” Dr Al Zeyoudi said. “This will allow us to channel as many resources as possible towards executing long-term climate strategies and sustainable development plans.

“And in our efforts to make our country resilient to climate change, we are relying on you,” he said. “As employees of Masdar, a global pioneer in the field of renewable energy and sustainable cities, you are our partners in building a greener, healthier future.”

While the pandemic has taken attention away from climate change, it has also “shown us the importance of rapid and effective action,” the minister said, with the COVID-19 response presenting a “level of global coordination that we have never witnessed before.
“So, instead of viewing the current situation as an excuse for not delivering on our commitments, we in the UAE are using it as an inspiration and an opportunity to rethink our plans and raise our climate ambitions,” he told the Masdar staff. 

Even during containment measures against the pandemic, the UAE’s renewables sector has been resilient, continuing to set world record-low prices for solar power in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the minister pointed out. The nation remains on track to meet its 2050 Energy Strategy goals of clean energy making up half of installed capacity, he said. 

His Excellency is a former Masdar employee, having played an instrumental role in the UAE’s successful 2009 bid to host the global headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). At today’s event, he thanked all Masdar staff for their “contributions to sustainable development and climate action here in the UAE and across the globe.

“Your remarkable projects, such as Masdar City and your wide portfolio of clean energy projects, each unique in its own way, serve as shining examples to the whole world,” the minister said. “There is no question that Masdar has made us proud, and I’m sure it will continue to do so well into the future.”