Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri
Our ancestors knew a great deal about resilience. They understood how to work with nature to survive the hot summers in the desert, to adapt to extreme weather conditions, and to manage with limited resources.
As the founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, once said: “We have to be proud of our forefathers, who were able to face the harshness of life with a strong will and dedication to shape a better collective future.”
Today, through initiatives such as the Zayed Sustainability Prize, we are carrying on his legacy, facilitating the delivery of sustainable, resilient solutions to vulnerable communities around the world.
World leaders, climate experts, business executives and civil society recently came together at the largest annual gathering on climate action – the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP27, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt – to address the issue of climate adaptation and resilience.
Scaling up adaptation, or the ability to prepare for and build resilience to extreme weather events, trends or disturbances related to climate change, was high on the agenda. The FCCC’s Standing Committee on Finance was asked to prepare a report on doubling adaptation finance. Its findings will be considered during COP28, which will take place in the UAE next year.
Several countries have made new commitments to adaptation, including the UK, which intends to triple its adaptation financing to £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) by 2025 to help developing nations adapt to the effects of climate change.
The key outcomes of COP27 included an agreement to establish a dedicated fund to finance endeavors to address loss and damage resulting from extreme weather conditions in vulnerable countries.
In addition, COP27 highlighted the importance of early warning systems, which are key to minimizing the damage caused by natural disasters. Resources invested in early warning systems have been found to help reduce damages by almost 90 percent. According to the Global Commission on Adaptation, spending $800 million on such systems in developing countries would prevent between $3 billion and $16 billion of losses a year.
Therefore, the UAE is committed to enhancing its climate change adaptation capabilities. At COP26, it announced that it would be expanding its blue carbon ecosystems by planting 100 million mangrove seedlings by 2030. The country is also stepping up food waste reduction efforts and promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns.
These latest announcements follow several initiatives launched by the UAE in recent years to improve its ability to adapt to climate change and prosper. For example, in an effort to address the issues of food insecurity and freshwater scarcity, the nation has deployed innovative methods such as soil- and water-conserving crop production.
Climate change adaptation is one of the most important challenges of our century. It cannot be accomplished by a single entity, a single country, or a single generation.
The country is targeting the widespread adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and state-of-the-art technologies that maximize yields, optimize resource use, and reduce emissions, addressing the critical water-food-energy nexus. Investment in cloud seeding, as part of the UAE Rain Enhancement Program, has helped bring much-needed rain. And the UAE is considered a global expert in sustainable desalination technologies.
These are just a few examples that demonstrate the UAE’s position as a true pioneer in developing and deploying innovative solutions aimed at building resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate. These solutions not only help the country meet its needs while reducing its environmental impact, they also support its efforts to shape a resilient and sustainable economy based on knowledge and innovation.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize, on which I have the honor of serving as a jury member, helps extend the UAE’s efforts to drive practical climate solutions both within its own borders and beyond. It recognizes and rewards sustainable, grassroots projects that help communities around the world become more resilient in food, health, energy and water – key areas affected by climate change.
Since 2008, the prize has been helping lay the groundwork for greater global resilience. This can be seen through the impacts made by its 96 winners, who are drawn from small to medium-sized enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and high schools.
During its near 15-year history, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has had a remarkable, transformative effect on the lives of more than 370 million people in 150 countries. The organizations and projects it has funded have provided an estimated 2.3 million people with nutritious food, delivered renewable energy to 53 million homes, and more than 11 million people now have access to clean, affordable drinking water.
Recipients of the prize have also enabled 100 billion liters of water to be saved, brought affordable, lifesaving healthcare to more than 442,000 people in some of the most remote communities, and provided safe maternal healthcare to 216,000 women and newborns.
And we look forward to expanding our impact when we recognize our latest winners at the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize awards ceremony, which will take place on Jan. 16 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre .
Climate change adaptation is one of the most important challenges of our century. It cannot be accomplished by a single entity, a single country, or a single generation. I believe it is a relay race in which we must build on each other’s strengths, nurture innovation and work together to reach the finish line.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri is the UAE’s minister of climate change and environment, and a jury member of the Zayed Sustainability Prize.
